The 2026 "Two Sessions" (the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference) have commenced in Beijing. This year's IP-related proposals are closely aligned with the national agenda to foster new productive forces and achieve high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-improvement. The proposals offer systematic recommendations across multiple dimensions, including legislation, judiciary, administration, industry practices, and platform governance. This comprehensive approach underscores the nation's heightened emphasis on establishing a full-chain intellectual property protection system and signals a future policy direction further tilted toward stricter, more efficient, and more coordinated enforcement.

Delegates and committee members have focused on refining the system for technical investigators, formulating special procedural laws for intellectual property litigation, and regulating malicious litigation practices. The primary objectives are to address persistent challenges in IP protection, such as protracted rights enforcement timelines, prohibitive costs, and insufficient professional expertise. These efforts aim to promote the optimal allocation of judicial resources and strengthen the judiciary's fundamental role as a pillar supporting and safeguarding innovation.

In response to emerging scenarios such as AI-generated content, digital copyright, e-commerce live streaming, and AI comics, proposals generally focus on key issues including infringement identification, rapid rights enforcement, ownership definition, and compliance costs. This reflects the growing trend of online, large-scale, and covert infringement behaviors in the digital economy, underscoring the urgent need for regulatory frameworks and protection mechanisms to undergo simultaneous upgrades in response to technological advancements.

Targeted recommendations have been put forward for industries such as pharmaceuticals, photovoltaics, smart home systems, and apparel, covering aspects including patent pool development, optimization of the pharmaceutical patent system, and mandatory platform protection rules. This indicates a strategic shift in intellectual property policy from macro-level guidance to industry-specific implementation, thereby providing more effective support for the high-quality development of the real economy and key industrial sectors.

Proposals such as establishing a specialized intellectual property court in central China and strengthening the protection of agriculture-related IP rights are conducive to narrowing regional protection disparities, extending the reach of judicial services, and promoting the expansion of IP protection coverage from major cities and core industries to broader regions and grassroots entities. Such measures are instrumental in serving rural revitalization and fostering coordinated regional development.

Overall, this year's proposals demonstrate foresight in legislative planning, practical orientation in judicial operations, and targeted precision across specific industries. They not only address common concerns within the business community but also align closely with national strategic directions. Looking ahead, relevant legislative amendments, platform rule updates, and enforcement mechanisms are expected to be implemented with greater agility. For enterprises, it is imperative to strengthen risk prevention and control, enhance compliance management, and refine rights protection strategies in advance, so as to better seize the opportunities for innovation-driven development under the guidance of evolving policies.