The Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) recently announced a decision to establish 10 specialized procuratorial bases for handling cases involving intellectual property (IP) in Beijing, Shanghai, Wuxi in Jiangsu province, Ningbo in Zhejiang province, Qingdao in Shandong province, the Zhengzhou Airport Comprehensive Economic Experimental Zone, Wuhan in Hubei province, Shenzhen in Guangdong province, the Liangjiang New Area of Chongqing, and Xi'an in Shaanxi province.
According to officials from the SPP's Intellectual Property Procuratorial Department, the increasing specialization and technical complexity of IP cases have set higher requirements for judicial case handling. Judicial practice indicates that IP-related procuratorial cases display distinct regional characteristics. Therefore, establishing specialized case-handling bases in regions with relatively high caseloads and strong specialization in IP prosecution will help procuratorial organs gain a more accurate understanding of the features and trends of such cases, while systematically strengthening their professional case-handling capacity.
The newly established bases will primarily focus on handling difficult and complex IP cases involving new technologies, new business formats, and emerging sectors. Their responsibilities include comprehensively advancing the integrated performance of IP-related procuratorial functions; studying the rules and frontier issues of IP prosecution; formulating relevant regulations; conducting professional training; and carrying out legal publicity campaigns.
Improving the quality and efficiency of handling difficult and complex IP cases is the core task of these bases. The SPP has urged all provincial-level procuratorates where the bases are located to regard base development as a key initiative in supporting high-quality economic and social development, and formulate sound operating rules and refine case-handling mechanisms and procedures in line with their assigned responsibilities.
These procuratorates are also required to explore innovative working mechanisms to strengthen judicial protection for IP concerning original innovation and key core technologies. These efforts are intended to guide procuratorial organs in other regions to effectively handle difficult and complex IP cases, thereby driving the overall improvement of IP-related procuratorial work.
Building a highly specialized workforce is an inherent requirement for these bases. According to the SPP, each base should be staffed with a capable team of professionals covering the four major procuratorial functions — criminal, civil, administrative, and public interest litigation. These teams should consist of multidisciplinary talent with proficiency in both law and technology, as well as solid expertise in IP matters.
Cross-regional personnel training will be enhanced, and core IP prosecutors will be selected annually from across the country to participate in case handling at these bases. Meanwhile, specialized seminars, the submission of theoretical research topics, and court observation and case evaluation activities will be organized to continuously improve prosecutors' professional competence.
