Louis Vuitton's trademark infringement lawsuit against Molly Tea has recently dominated discussions on intellectual property. While respecting IP has become a broad social consensus, growing debates over copyrights, trademarks, and even AI-generated content highlight a key issue: the protection and application of intellectual property are now deeply integrated into every aspect of our social and economic life.
Intellectual property is a strategic resource for national development and a core component of international competitiveness, serving as a vital expression of technological and innovation outcomes. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China has significantly strengthened its legal framework for IP protection and enhanced the innovation environment. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization's "Global Innovation Index 2025," China's ranking has risen to 10th place, marking its first entry into the global top ten.
However, rapidly evolving new technologies and deeply cross-border industries are constantly presenting new challenges. For instance, how should the copyright of AI-generated content be defined? How can the interests of creators and distributors be balanced in the platform economy? And how should traditional public cultural IP be protected when facing disputes? The State Council has recently issued the "15th Five-Year Plan for Intellectual Property Protection and Application," which addresses these new dynamics by focusing on the key function of IP in connecting innovation with the market. This plan serves as a "blueprint" for the direction, goals, and key tasks of IP development over the next five years.
Where to Focus First
Protection of intellectual property in emerging fields should be established as early as possible. "Wherever innovation advances, IP protection should follow." As of the end of June this year, China's stock of high-value invention patents had reached 2.36 million, contributing significantly to global innovation. Continuing to set this indicator during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period will further signal a clear policy direction to encourage and promote innovation. Specifically, four categories of patents are now included in the "high-value invention patent" statistics: strategic emerging industry patents in areas like next-generation information technology and new energy, patents with overseas patent families, patents with a maintenance period of over 10 years, and patents that have won the National Science and Technology Award or the China Patent Award. By optimizing this metric, authorities can effectively guide innovation resources toward key sectors and entities, fostering the growth of emerging and future industries.
The Driving Force of Application
Another highlight of the plan is its emphasis on the "application" aspect, stressing the need to "cultivate a good ecosystem for the transformation and application of IP" and to "optimize foreign-related IP protection and patent conversion." This means that beyond strengthening IP protection, it is also crucial to skillfully leverage the rules within the IP protection system. For example, this involves protecting IP in international investments in emerging fields and enhancing China's international influence and voice in IP through legitimate technology transfer and transformation in international initiatives and trade agreements like the Belt and Road Initiative, the BRICS framework, and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. Data shows that in the first five months of this year, China's export of intellectual property royalties reached 45.5 billion yuan, a significant year-on-year increase of 64.9%. Given the growing volume of imports and exports, promptly optimizing foreign-related IP protection and patent conversion will also help Chinese enterprises build new competitive advantages in the global market through IP, pushing service trade toward higher quality and innovation.
The IP system is never a static collection of legal clauses but a governance framework that continuously evolves with technological revolutions and industrial shifts. Standing at a new starting point, IP work will adopt a high-quality development orientation. However, the true test lies ahead: how to better protect and utilize intellectual property to sustain the unleashing of innovation vitality and ensure the fair sharing of cultural achievements.