February 2025 Chinese Intellectual Property Court Rulings

1. Meishe Technology v. ByteDance (TikTok): Landmark Software Copyright Infringement Case

Court: Supreme People's Court
Date: February 13, 2025
Key Ruling:

• The Supreme People's Court upheld the determination of  infringement and significantly increased damages to ¥82.67 million (≈$11.5 million), marking a record high for software copyright cases in China.

• ByteDance was ordered to cease using Meishe's SDK code in 8 products (including Douyin, CapCut, Faceu) and compensate for economic losses and legal fees.

• The court relied on decompiled code analysis to establish infringement after ByteDance refused to submit original source code, setting a precedent for "indirect evidence" in software piracy cases.

• A former Meishe employee who transferred code to ByteDance was also found liable for trade secret misappropriation.

Case Background:
Meishe accused ByteDance of copying core audio/video editing code from its SDK in 2021. Previous lower court rulings awarded ¥26.7 million, but the Supreme Court cited "persistent infringement" and "substantial economic impact" to justify the increased penalty.

2. Pokémon Company v. Guangzhou Mochi Network: "Pocket Monster: Remake" Trademark & Copyright Infringement

Court: Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court
Date: February 20, 2025
Key Ruling:

• Guangzhou Mochi Network was ordered to pay ¥107 million (≈$15 million) for copyright infringement and unfair competition over its game Pocket Monster: Remake.

• The court found the game copied Pokémon's iconic characters, gameplay mechanics, and branding, violating both copyright and trademark laws.

• The ruling emphasized the need to protect globally recognized IP and deter unauthorized commercial exploitation.

Case Impact:
This is one of China's largest-ever damages awards for gaming IP infringement, sending a strong signal to developers about cross-border copyright enforcement.

3. Boehringer Ingelheim v. NIPA: Empagliflozin Patent Validity Appeal

Court: Supreme People's Court Intellectual Property Tribunal
Date: February 26, 2025 (Hearing)
Case Status:

• A  hearing in second instance was held to review the National IP Administration's (NIPA) 2020 decision invalidating Boehringer Ingelheim's patent for the diabetes drug Empagliflozin.

• Chinese generic manufacturers (e.g., Jiangsu 豪森) challenged the patent's validity, arguing insufficient disclosure of technical details.

• The outcome will impact access to affordable generics and set precedents for pharmaceutical patent litigation.

Key Trends in February 2025

1. Stronger Damages: Courts are increasingly using "infringer’s profits" and "technology contribution" models to calculate higher compensation.

2. Global IP Protection: Chinese courts are aligning with international standards, as seen in the Pokémon case.

3. Software Piracy Crackdown: Reliance on decompiled code as evidence signals stricter enforcement against tech giants.

This compilation provides a snapshot of landmark IP rulings in China. For full case details, visit the official court databases or linked sources.