Navigating intellectual property challenges in China: Insights from RCEP and domestic factors

Abstract

In a high-quality economic era, China needs innovative development. Intellectual property (IP) innovation and development are the first driving forces in China. At the same time, China has signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement (RCEP), which has had a significant impact on the development of China's IP law. Under the combination of these two factors, China's IP innovation and development environment are worth studying. This paper uses the “factor analysis method” from five dimensions, including initiatives for civic awareness, regional IP development foundation, legislative support, law enforcement measures, and judicial protection, to study the development environment of IP innovation in 31 provincial regions in China, in the past 3 years. It is found that IP development in various regions of China is insufficient in some way, and the scores of different provinces vary greatly, so it will inevitably affect the development of China's IP integrally and then affect the construction process of strong provinces and cities with intellectual property rights (IPR). The novelty of this research is its in-depth investigation into how the RCEP and global partnerships are influencing the transformation of China's intellectual property landscape. This transformation requires legal adjustments and underscores the importance of specialized IP judge training, alignment with international norms, and regional IP progress to realize China's ambition of becoming a dominant force in intellectual property. Combined with the fact that RCEP has come into effect in China and has had a significant impact, it is necessary to develop China's IP undertaking from legislative, judicial, law enforcement, and international cooperation aspects.