Dear Valued Colleagues and Clients, Due to upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day in China, as well as CNIPA and all Chinese courts, we will be closed on the following holidays. Any deadlines falling on these days will be automatically adjusted to the next working day. 01 Oct 2025(Wed) →  08 Oct 2025 (Wed) We thank you for your kind attention and should you have an emergency or require immediate assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us. Best regards. Huigang Donping IP Law Firm

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has announced that starting September 1, 2025, all Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) hearings will be held in-person. All parties will be expected to appear in person for hearings absent a showing of good cause. Good cause will generally be limited to circumstances such as financial hardship, medical emergencies, or other comparable obstacles to in-person attendance. It’s important to note that the approval of one party to appear virtually does not establish good cause for other parties in the same matter to also appear virtually. Hearings will be held at one of the USPTO’s offices. Parties may request a specific office location for their hearing, and the PTAB will attempt to accommodate these requests. The public maintains the ability to remotely attend PTAB hearings. To access a hearing virtually—or in-person—submit a request to PTABHearings@uspto.gov at least three business days before the hearing. For more information, visit the PTAB hearings page of the USPTO website, contact PTABHearings@uspto.gov, or call 571-272-9797. Stay current with the USPTO by subscribing to receive email updates from our Subscription Center.

On July 17, the National Association of Patent Agents released the first batch of patent agency precision service guarantee list. Our firm, as one of the total of 986 patent agencies were selected among 6,000+ patent agencies nationwide. According to a previous report by China Intellectual Property News, the selection process requires a comprehensive evaluation of the agency's business capacity, agency workforce, credit evaluation and other factors.