SPP releases first bilingual white paper on IP prosecution work

On April 21, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) released the White Paper on Intellectual Property Prosecution Work (2025). For the first time, an English version of the document was also made available on the SPP's official English-language website.

The white paper uses data, charts and case studies to comprehensively demonstrate the significant progress made by procuratorial organs nationwide in serving the national innovation-driven development strategy and fostering a first-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based and internationalized.

The white paper provides an overview of procuratorates' law-based and comprehensive performance of their duties in criminal, civil, administrative, and public interest litigation concerning intellectual property rights (IPR) in 2025.

That year, procuratorates at all levels fully and accurately implemented the criminal policy of tempering justice with mercy and cracked down on IPR infringement crimes in accordance with the law.

They accepted and reviewed 11,341 criminal cases involving IPR infringements, implicating 25,160 individuals, prosecuted 9,135 cases involving 19,102 individuals, and decided not to prosecute 5,105 individuals.

Furthermore, procuratorial organs nationwide handled 1,251 IPR civil procuratorial cases and 1,795 IPR administrative procuratorial cases. They also received 741 leads for public interest litigation in the IPR field, leading to the filing of 612 cases.

The white paper further highlights procuratorial organs' progress in enhancing the quality and efficiency of procuratorial supervision and in safeguarding judicial fairness. These efforts are detailed across three key areas: "Focusing on the Core Mission, Serving High-Quality Economic and Social Development", "Coordinating Efforts to Build an Overall IPR Protection Framework", and "Consolidating and Further Deepening Comprehensive Procuratorial Performance".

Notably, issues related to serving the development of new quality productive forces drew particular attention. Procuratorial organs focused on emerging and future industries, such as new-generation information technology, artificial intelligence, new energy, high-end equipment and biomedicine. They strengthened criminal judicial protection of IPR related to corporate original innovation and key core technologies.

Meanwhile, they comprehensively exercised their IPR procuratorial functions and continuously strengthened civil and administrative procuratorial supervision over technology-related cases involving patents, integrated circuit layout designs, new plant varieties and computer software.

The year 2026 marks the beginning of the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30) and is a crucial year for IPR procuratorial work to serve the overall national development and achieve leapfrog progress, according to the head of the SPP's Intellectual Property Procuratorial Department.

Centering on the core goals of building a country strong in IPR, procuratorates will continue to strengthen specialized case-handling bodies and talent teams, as well as constantly improve working mechanisms for comprehensive procuratorial performance, in a bid to better serve and encourage innovation and creativity, promote cultural prosperity, safeguard fair competition, and protect people's well-being through high-quality and efficient IPR procuratorial performance, the official said.

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Full text: White Paper on Intellectual Property Prosecution Work (2025)