The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) announced on 1 October that, in order to better serve economic and trade exchanges between China and Spain and to help resolve the intellectual property problems and concerns that companies of each country encounter in the other, it has agreed with the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM) to launch jointly a pilot project for a China-Spain focal point mechanism. The pilot runs for 1 year, from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027. Under the arrangement, each office designates one intellectual property focal point, who provides consulting services on the intellectual property issues that arise when Chinese companies do business in Spain and Spanish companies do business in China, and supports companies of both countries in obtaining effective protection.
During the pilot, Chinese companies may contact the CNIPA focal point and Spanish companies the OEPM focal point; the contact details of both officers were published with the official announcement.
The mechanism is not a reform of examination and does not change the filing, examination or remedy rules of either country; its value lies in giving companies that face communication problems in cross-border filing, protection of rights and dispute handling a direct consultation channel at the level of the competent office. CNIPA has previously run pilots of the same kind with the intellectual property offices of Hungary, Russia and other countries.
J&C recommends that Chinese companies with patent or trade mark filings or enforcement matters in Spain use this channel to understand local procedures and to raise administrative communication problems met during filing and protection: prepare application numbers, the status of the rights and the specific question before making contact; and bear in mind that the focal point offers consultation only, so time limits, fees, oppositions and litigation must still be handled through the formal routes and local representatives.
Source: www.cnipa.gov.cn
