The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has announced that starting January 1, 2026, all patent-related documents submitted electronically must be in XML format. This change applies to new applications, re-examination requests, invalidation requests, and other procedures.
Documents required to be submitted in XML format includes: Chinese national application documents for inventions, utility models, and designs; international application documents entering the Chinese national phase under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT); re-examination request documents; invalidation request documents; and other documents such as requests, declarations, statements of opinion, and amendments submitted during various procedures.
Except for nucleotide or amino acid sequence listings, which shall comply with the WIPO ST.26 standard, all XML format documents must meet the data standards issued by the CNIPA. The data standards for patent e-filing documents, XML format conversion tools, and user manuals can be obtained from the "Tools Download" section of the patent business handling system (http://cponline.cnipa.gov.cn).
Applicants and patent agencies should prepare their systems and processes to ensure they can submit accurate and complete files in the required XML format. If an error occurs due to XML conversion, remedies may be available if sufficient evidence is provided.
At AFD, we are ready to assist with this transition. Please contact us if you have questions or need support adapting to the new XML filing requirements.
For patent-related matters, please send to info@afdip.com. For trademark/litigation/legal matters, please send to info@bhtdlaw.com.
