In order to better guide China’s patent application and examination practices, the key contents of this revision of the examination guidelines are now introduced and interpreted.

一、专利申请、审查程序相关规定的修改

1.1新增援引加入相关规定

（1）应当在首次递交专利申请时要求在先申请的优先权，提出援引加入声明。

（2）应在首次递交专利申请之日起两个月内或者在中国国家知识产权局指定的期限内，提交确认援引加入声明，补交相关文件。其中补交的申请文件内容应当包含在在先申请文件副本和其中文译文之中。审查指南相应地删除了对PCT实施细则有关援引加入条款作出保留的表述。

1.2修改优先权相关规定

（1）新增优先权恢复

请求恢复优先权的时机为优先权期限届满之日起两个月内，且在中国国家知识产权局作好公布准备之前。

提交的文件包括恢复优先权请求书及其他需要的文件，如在先申请文件副本、优先权转让证明文件等。

缴纳的费用包括恢复权利请求费、优先权要求费。审查指南相应地删除了对PCT实施细则有关优先权恢复条款作出保留的表述。

（2）新增优先权要求的增加或者改正

提出时机为自优先权日起十六个月内或者申请日起四个月内，且在中国国家知识产权局作好公布准备之前。

需提交增加或者改正优先权要求请求书。

针对增加优先权要求的情形，需要缴纳优先权要求费。

（3）完善其他优先权手续要求

The deadline for submitting copies of prior application documents and priority transfer certificates for invention and utility model patent applications has been relaxed, and “should be submitted within three months from the date of filing the subsequent application” is changed to “should be submitted on the priority date (required If there are multiple priorities, it shall be submitted within 16 months from the earliest priority date.”

1.3修改不丧失新颖性的宽限期相关规定

(1) Article 24 of the Patent Law adds a new grace period situation that does not lose novelty, that is, “when a national emergency or extraordinary situation occurs, the patent is disclosed for the first time for the purpose of public interest.” The review guide details relevant rules and clarifies that relevant certification materials should be issued by relevant departments of the people’s government at or above the provincial level.

（2）适应专利法实施细则第三十三条第二款的修改，扩大不丧失新颖性的宽限期中“学术会议或者技术会议”的会议种类范围。

For the situation of “exhibiting for the first time at an international exhibition sponsored or recognized by the Chinese government”, the scope of the issuing unit of certification materials has been expanded, and on the basis of the original “should be issued by the exhibition organizer”, “issued by the exhibition organizing committee” has been added “.

(3) In response to the situation of “others leaking the content without the applicant’s consent”, the procedures that the applicant should go through after receiving the notice from CNIPA are added to provide better protection for the applicant’s legitimate rights and interests support.

1.4专利权期限补偿相关规定

专利法第四次修改新增第四十二条第二款，引入发明专利权期限补偿制度，对授权过程中非申请人原因造成的不合理延迟给予相应的专利权期限补偿。
同时新增第四十二条第三款，引入药品专利权期限补偿制度，对新药上市审评审批占用的专利权期限给予补偿。

二、关于发明专利申请实质审查一般性规定的修改

2.1根据专利法及其实施细则进行了联动性修改

审查指南规定，在三种专利的初步审查范围、复审和无效宣告程序、专利权评价报告制定等相关规定中增加对于诚实信用原则的审查，以此形成一个全面、系统的规制体系。

2.2对发明专利申请的实质审查规则进行优化和完善

Regarding the cited documents in the background art, when the cited document is a patent document, it is stipulated that “the publication date of the cited patent document cannot be later than the publication date of this application”, which unifies the requirements for the publication date of cited Chinese and foreign patent documents.

In the novelty section of the Examination Guidelines, in the case of Article 24 (1) or (4) of the Patent Law, if another person learns the contents of the invention and then discloses it again, the provisions are the same as the corresponding first time. Disclosure is regarded as the same act, and the patent application will not lose novelty due to the above-mentioned re-publication act. In the inventiveness section of the Examination Guidelines, the rules for determining the closest prior art and determining the technical problem actually solved by the invention in the “three-step method” are improved and explained with examples.

2.3为适应新领域新业态发展、回应创新主体诉求，对实质审查标准进行适应性修改

The Examination Guidelines stipulate that “information processing methods in which all steps are implemented by computers and other devices” do not fall within the diagnostic methods specified in Article 25, Paragraph 1, Item (3) of the Patent Law. In addition, the Internet has increasingly become an important channel for information dissemination. Among the relevant provisions on existing technology, the review guidelines provide separate provisions for materials existing on the Internet or other online databases, clarifying that the date of publication is generally based on the date of release, unless there is other evidence. Except for proving its public date.

三、涉及计算机程序的发明专利申请的审查标准的修改

3.1权利要求书撰写的修改

明确允许撰写计算机程序产品的主题。明确计算机程序的发明专利申请的权利要求可以撰写计算机程序产品的主题，并增加撰写示例。

3.2人工智能、大数据客体审查基准的修改

增加人工智能、大数据算法实现计算机系统内部性能改进的客体审查基准，并增加审查示例。

增加涉及大数据处理的客体审查基准，并增加审查示例。

3.3创造性审查基准的修改

增加算法实现计算机系统内部性能改进的创造性审查基准，并增加审查示例。

增加用户体验提升的创造性审查基准，并修改审查示例。

四、涉及中药领域发明专利申请的审查标准的修改

4.1新增中药发明专利保护客体的审查标准

明确了中药领域不能被授予专利权的情形，也指明了常见可授予专利权的客体。

4.2新增说明书和权利要求书的审查标准

明确了说明书对中药材名称的记载，应使本领域的技术人员能够确认该中药材；中药组合物发明应当在说明书中清楚记载各中药原料的用量配比，以满足充分公开的要求。

4.3新增新颖性的审查标准

明确了在发明专利申请或现有技术涉及古代度量衡单位时，需要注意古今用量单位的异同，判断是否具备新颖性。

4.4新增创造性的审查标准

针对中药领域发明专利申请中占比最大、最具中药特点的中药组合物发明的创造性审查，明确了审查原则和方法。

4.5新增实用性的审查标准

It is clarified that inventions involving doctors’ prescriptions and methods of obtaining traditional Chinese medicine raw materials from animals using surgical methods are not practical.

五、关于复审与无效请求的审查相关规定的修改

5.1落实专利法及其实施细则的规定

新增涉及药品专利纠纷早期解决机制的无效宣告请求案件审查相关规定，增加无效宣告程序中局部外观设计和外观设计本国优先权方面的内容。

5.2优化完善现有制度规定

明确专利权人主动声明放弃专利权的规则，完善无效宣告程序中的当事人处置原则。

5.3创新审查模式与审查规则

适应技术发展和形势变化，明确线下审理、线上审理以及线下与线上审理相结合等口头审理方式。

六、关于外观设计专利申请的初步审查及外观设计国际申请相关规定的修改

6.1关于外观设计专利申请初步审查相关内容的修改

（1）在审查指南中增加局部外观设计相关审查规定。明确产品的不能分割的局部可以通过局部外观设计的方式获得专利保护。

（2）对涉及图形用户界面的产品外观设计的审查规定作出适应性调整，明确涉及图形用户界面的产品外观设计可以以产品整体外观设计方式或者以局部外观设计方式提交申请。

(3) Combined with the characteristics of the design, refer to the national priority system for inventions and utility models, and add a section “Requesting National Priority” to the examination guidelines. It is specifically clarified that when the applicant of the subsequent application is inconsistent with the applicant recorded in the earlier application, documents proving the transfer of priority shall be submitted within three months from the date of the later application.

（4）专利法实施细则第五十条扩大了外观设计专利申请初步审查范围，审查指南进一步明确。

（5）对于立体产品中不涉及设计要点的面，可以提交正投影视图也可以提交示出上述面的立体图。

6.2关于外观设计国际申请相关内容的修改

（1）增加关于外观设计国际注册申请的传送条件和传送程序、外观设计国际申请的委托代理、分案申请、国内公告等其他程序，以及外观设计国际注册申请费用缴纳手续的相关规定。

（2）国际局公布的指定中国的外观设计国际申请与在中国提出的外观设计专利申请具有同等效力，中国国家知识产权局将按照国内法律规定，对外观设计国际申请进行明显实质性缺陷的审查。对优先权、分案申请和不丧失新颖性的公开等作出规定：明确了提交在先申请文件副本、向中国国家知识产权局主动提出分案申请、提交不丧失新颖性的公开的相关证明文件的期限均自国际申请公布之日起算；按照审查意见提出的分案申请，最迟应当在原申请的国内公告日起两个月内提出；外观设计国际申请被视为未要求优先权的，不予恢复。

七、中国专利申请手续及事务处理相关规定的修改

7.1完善专利申请的手续要求

It is clarified that when a foreign applicant without a habitual residence or business office in mainland China or an applicant from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan applies for a patent or handles other patent matters alone, or jointly applies for a patent or handles other patent matters as a representative with other persons, he or she must entrust an entrustment agent For patent agencies, certification documents such as “non-service invention certificate”, “habitual residence certificate”, “regular place of business certificate” and “applicant qualification certificate” will be cancelled.

7.2优化著录项目变更手续要求

（1）对于多件专利申请的同一著录项目发生变更，且变更的内容完全相同的情形，允许以批量的方式办理著录项目变更，无需逐一提出。

（2）简化申请人（或者专利权人）请求变更姓名或者名称的证明文件。

(3) Regarding the procedure for changing the inventor due to omission or incorrect filling, it is clearly stipulated that the time for submitting such a change is “to be submitted within one month from the date of receipt of the acceptance notice”, and it needs to be included in the supporting documents. Indicate the reason for the change, and make a statement confirming that the inventor after the change has made a creative contribution to the substantive features of the invention.

7.3明确计费标准

明确对于各种费用应以人民币结算，当事人使用外币支付专利费用的，按照银行将该费用结汇至中国国家知识产权局账户之日的汇率结算，以结算之日为缴费日。

7.4优化流程期限

（1）明确了对于实用新型专利申请可以提出延迟审查请求，对于外观设计专利申请的延迟审查期限可以以月为单位提出请求，对三种专利申请增加了可以撤回延迟审查请求的规定。

（2）明确了针对向外国申请专利的保密审查的时限。

（3）对于以中文进行国际公布的国际申请，其临时保护以国际公布日和CNIPA公布日中在先的日期为起始日期。

7.5加强专利服务

（1）新增针对专利开放许可制度的细化规定。

（2）进一步明确专利权评价报告的请求主体、时机、作出时限等规定。

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作者：布路知产