Recently, the Chinese National Intellectual Property Administration published the Draft Amendment to Several Provisions on Regulating Patent Application (Draft for Soliciting Opinions) and its drafting instructions, aiming to solicit opinions from all walks of life.

The main amendments involved in the Draft are as follows: first, the name of the Provisions is amended from “Several Provisions on Regulating Patent Application” to “Several Provisions on Regulating Application of Patent”; secondly, the abnormal patent application has been supplemented and perfected; thirdly, the examination procedures for abnormal patent applications are clearly defined; lastly, the relevant treatment measures for abnormal patent application have been updated and improved.