Patent Law in Greater China, 2nd Edition: Why Filing Volume Isn't the Whole Story
Description
China filed 73,718 PCT applications in 2025 — more than the United States and Japan combined — and its national patent office received 1.8 million filings in 2024, more than the US, Japan, South Korea and the European Patent Office combined. Yet WIPO data also shows that 96.7% of China-origin patent families are filed only domestically. For international practitioners, that gap between filing volume and cross-border visibility is exactly the problem. Patent Law in Greater China, 2nd Edition (Edward Elgar Publishing), edited by Stefan Luginbuehl and Peter Ganea, is one of the few current English-language references covering patent law across mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan in a single volume.
Where this shows up in practice
Three applications stand out for practitioners advising across borders:
Cross-border patent prosecution — the procedural chapters align PCT filings with PRC examination practice, useful when coordinating a filing strategy spanning mainland China and its parallel systems in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
Litigation and enforcement planning — dedicated coverage of China's dual enforcement system (administrative and judicial) helps foreign counsel anticipate venue and remedy choices before a dispute reaches either track.
Technology licensing and employee invention compliance — companies transferring technology into China can structure agreements around the reformed employee inventions framework covered in the book.
Why it matters for law libraries and firms right now
Most English-language patent references still concentrate on the US, UK or Europe. With China now the world's largest patent-filing jurisdiction — and most of that activity invisible outside its borders — a current single-volume reference spanning the full Greater China region fills a real gap in academic law library holdings and firm reference collections built for cross-border IP practice.
Why buy this book?
A rigorously updated second edition from practitioners and scholars active in patent law across mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Europe — practical enough for prosecution and litigation strategy, current enough to reflect China's most recent patent law developments.
Explore the full Law collection at CLNZ Books.
Q&A
What does Patent Law in Greater China, 2nd Edition cover?
China's revised patent law and secondary legislation, plus parallel patent systems in Hong Kong, Macao and Chinese Taipei — policy, substantive law, application procedure, enforcement, and utility model and design protection.
Why is a dedicated Greater China patent reference useful when China already leads global filing volume?
Because most Chinese patent activity stays domestic — WIPO data shows over 96% of China-origin patent families are filed only in China — leaving international practitioners with little current English-language guidance on the system driving that volume.
Does the book cover patent litigation and enforcement in mainland China?
Yes — including the dual enforcement system, administrative infringement proceedings, damages and compensation, and patent invalidation procedures.
Is patent protection in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan included?
Yes, each has dedicated coverage in separate parts of the book.
Where can I buy Patent Law in Greater China, 2nd Edition?
Directly from CLNZ Books, with worldwide shipping and secure card or PayPal checkout — view the book here.