On April 24, the State Council Information Office held a press conference to introduce the "Annual Report on China's Fight Against Infringement and Counterfeiting (2025)." Bai Qingyuan, Deputy Director of the State Administration for Market Regulation, stated that in response to new challenges brought by the rapid development of online transactions, particularly live streaming e-commerce, the administration has continuously strengthened institutional mechanisms and enhanced routine supervision of the platform economy. Efforts include improving regulations, intensifying regulatory enforcement, and deepening administrative guidance. Moving forward, the administration will persist in strengthening oversight of online transactions, especially live streaming e-commerce, and will investigate and penalize various illegal activities in accordance with the law to better protect consumer rights.
In terms of promoting international exchange and cooperation in intellectual property, Yu Ning, Director-General of the Department of Treaty and Law at the Ministry of Commerce, noted that IP protection remains a key and hot topic in international economic and trade exchanges. Yu emphasized the importance of equal protection for both domestic and foreign-funded enterprises, implementing documents aimed at optimizing the foreign investment environment, raising societal awareness of IP protection, and cracking down on IP infringements against foreign companies. The ministry will leverage specialized task forces for key foreign investment projects to understand and address the IP concerns of foreign enterprises promptly. Through enhanced interdepartmental coordination, the ministry aims to build a first-class market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized business environment. The Ministry of Commerce will continue to use openness as a driving force and cooperation to foster integration, deepening international IP exchanges and promoting mutual empowerment between reform and opening-up.
The report highlights that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China placed greater emphasis on combating infringement and counterfeiting, with continuous improvements in systems and mechanisms and intensified law enforcement. Over five years, administrative and judicial authorities carried out a series of special campaigns, resulting in significant cases. Nationwide, copyright authorities investigated 12,800 cases of infringement and piracy in physical markets, customs detained 282,000 batches of suspected infringing goods involving 400 million items, and market regulators handled 218,900 cases of trademark infringement and counterfeit patents. A unified national campaign for the destruction of counterfeit goods was held for five consecutive years, covering over 200 types of goods across 30 categories with a total value of 2.79 billion yuan. Public security authorities filed 170,000 criminal cases, arresting 247,000 suspects; procuratorates prosecuted 48,000 cases involving 92,000 individuals; and courts concluded 2.77 million civil, criminal, and administrative IP cases. These efforts have expanded the social impact of IP protection and strengthened deterrence against illegal activities.
In 2025, key work included more efficient coordination, stronger legal safeguards, targeted administrative enforcement, robust judicial protection, improved regulatory services, effective publicity, and deeper international cooperation. China's innovation capabilities have continued to rise, with the country breaking into the top ten in the World Intellectual Property Organization's 2025 Global Innovation Index report, maintaining a leading position among middle-income economies.
Regarding live streaming e-commerce, Bai Qingyuan outlined three measures: refining regulations such as the "Live Streaming E-commerce Supervision and Management Measures," enhancing monitoring systems and penalizing top influencers for false promotions, and conducting administrative guidance initiatives to improve product quality and food safety. Future efforts will focus on sustained supervision and legal actions to safeguard consumer interests.
On international IP cooperation, the Ministry of Commerce has deepened bilateral and multilateral exchanges, explored new rules, supported pilot reforms in free trade zones, and ensured equal protection for all enterprises. The National Intellectual Property Office has strengthened IP protection for emerging fields like artificial intelligence and integrated circuits by improving legal frameworks, expanding service networks, and stimulating market-driven IP utilization.
The press conference also addressed software legalization, with significant progress in government and corporate adoption, and outlined the 2026 IP administrative protection plan, which emphasizes proactive prevention, precise mechanisms, and collaborative governance. Consumer protection efforts include optimizing the consumption environment, rigorous enforcement against counterfeit goods, and efficient dispute resolution, with over 20 million complaints handled in 2025, recovering 4.35 billion yuan for consumers.
Sports event copyright protection has been reinforced through specialized campaigns, preemptive alerts, and multi-stakeholder cooperation, earning international acclaim. For Chinese companies expanding overseas, the Ministry of Commerce provides information services, risk warnings, and dispute resolution support to address IP challenges abroad.
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