Chapter II Conditions for Granting Patent Rights

Article 22 Inventions and utility models for which patent rights are to be granted shall be ones which are novel, creative and of practical use.

Novelty means that the invention or utility model concerned is not an existing technology; no patent application is filed by any unit or individual for any identical invention or utility model with the patent administration department under the State Council before the date of application for patent right, and no identical invention or utility model is recorded in the patent application documents or the patent documentations which are published or announced after the date of application.

Creativity means that, compared with the existing technologies, the invention possesses prominent substantive features and indicates remarkable advancements, and the utility model possesses substantive features and indicates advancements.

Practical use means that the said invention or utility model can be used for production or be utilized, and may produce positive results.

For the purposes of this Law, existing technologies mean the technologies known to the public both domestically and abroad before the date of application.

Article 23 A design for which the patent right is granted is not an existing design, and no application is filed by any unit or individual for any identical design with the patent administration department under the State Council before the date of application for patent right and no identical design is recorded in the patent documentations announced after the date of application.

Designs for which the patent right is to be granted shall be ones which are distinctly different from the existing designs or the combinations of the features of existing designs.

Designs for which a patent right is granted shall be ones which are not in conflict with the lawful rights acquired by others prior to the date of application.

For the purposes of this Law, existing designs mean designs that are known to the public both domestically and abroad before the date of application.

Article 24 Within six months before the date of application, an invention for which an application is filed for a patent does not lose its novelty under any of the following circumstances:

(1) It is exhibited for the first time at an international exhibition sponsored or recognized by the Chinese Government;

(2) It is published for the first time at a specified academic or technological conference; and

(3) Its contents are divulged by others without the consent of the applicant.

Article 25 Patent rights shall not be granted for any of the following:

(1) scientific discoveries;

(2) rules and methods for intellectual activities;

(3)methods for the diagnosis or treatment of diseases;

(4) animal or plant varieties;

(5) substances obtained by means of nuclear transformation; and

(6) designs that are mainly used for marking the pattern, color or the combination of the two of prints.

The patent right may, in accordance with the provisions of this Law, be granted for the production methods of the products specified in Subparagraph (4) of the preceding paragraph.