Legal News

In China, with the backdrop of a notable population aging trend and longer average life expectancy driven by improved living standards, an increasing number of people continue to work after reaching the statutory retirement age. To protect the rights and interests of them (hereinafter referred to as “elderly workers”), the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, together with four other central government departments, issued the “Interim Provisions on the Protection of Basic Rights and Interests of Elderly Workers” on May 10, 2026. The provisions shall come into force on July 1, 2026. The main contents are as follows: Two…

The Judicial Interpretation of the Supreme People’s Court on the Application of Punitive Damages in Hearing Civil Cases of Intellectual Property Infringement ([2021] No. 4) prescribes the adjudicative elements for applying punitive damages in IPR civil cases and sets the benchmark for judicial discretion of judges. On April 17, 2026, the Supreme People’s Court issued the revised version of this judicial interpretation ([2026] No. 7), which shall take effect on May 1, 2026. Hereinafter is a brief overview of the key amendments of [2026] No. 7. Determination of Intent in IPR Infringement Article 3 of [2021] No. 4 stipulates five…

On March 12, 2026, the Fourth Session of the 14th National People’s Congress voted to adopt the “Ecological and Environmental Code”. This is the second law bearing the title “Code” in China, following the “Civil Code”. Upon the entry into force of this Code, ten laws shall be simultaneously repealed. They are the “Environmental Protection Law”, “Law on Environmental Impact Assessment”, “Marine Environmental Protection Law”, “Law on the Prevention and Control of Air Pollution”, “Law on the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution”, “Law on the Prevention and Control of Soil Pollution”, “Law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental…

The “Administrative Measures for the Recognition and Registration of Technology Contracts” was first issued and implemented in 1990, and revised in 2000. On February 9, 2026, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the second revised version of this Measures. Recognition and registration of technology contracts are not mandatory requirements, instead they are conducted on a voluntary application basis. What are the benefits of such procedures? Similar to copyright registration, its main value lies in proving ownership and the formation date of rights in the event of infringement disputes. If procedures have been completed, the registration certificate will serve…

Given the grave safety implications of hazardous chemicals, the state has long adopted a stringent regulatory stance, forming the following regulatory framework: Time Title of the Regulations Notes 2002 Regulations on the Safety Administration of Hazardous Chemicals Revised twice, in 2011 and 2013 2002 Measures for the Administration of the Registration of Hazardous Chemicals Currently the 2012 version 2002 Measures for the Administration of Hazardous Chemicals Business Licenses Revised twice, in 2012 and 2015 2004 Measures for the Implementation of Work Safety Licenses for Hazardous Chemicals Production Enterprises Revised twice, in 2011 and 2015 / Departmental rules on hazardous chemicals…

With the successive revisions of the “Administrative Punishment Law” and the “Work Safety Law” in recent years, the administrative punishment measures and rules related to work safety need to be updated simultaneously. On November 27, 2025, the Ministry of Emergency Management issued the “Measures for the Administrative Punishment of Illegal Acts in Work Safety” (hereinafter referred to as the “Measures”), which shall come into force on February 1, 2026. The following are the key revisions related to enterprises. To add 4 punishment measures The Measures add 4 types of administrative punishments for illegal acts in work safety, namely, circular of…

Recently, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security has issued the “Opinions on Several Issues Concerning the Implementation of the Regulations on Work-related Injury Insurance (III)” (hereinafter referred to as “Opinions III”), which provides relatively clear provisions on the identification standards for the three core factors of work-related injury recognition—”working time”, “workplace”, and “work-related reason”—as well as new requirements for identifying these three factors brought about by “work from home” and other scenarios. Its key points are as follows: Identification of “Working Time” The identification of “working time” shall take into account whether it falls within the time stipulated…

The implementation of the “Electronic Signature Law” in 2004 has provided a legal basis for the legal effect of electronic signatures. With the development of information technology, an increasing number of enterprises have adopted electronic seals out of consideration for paperless operations and convenient transmission. To standardize the use and administration of electronic seals, the State Council issued the “Measures for the Administration of Electronic Seals” on October 9, 2025, which is implemented on the same day. Hereinbelow, we will introduce some provisions related to companies’ daily business. Entities for Applying for and Producing Electronic Seals Article 12 of the…

Due to various reasons, there are quite a number of “zombie companies” that have had their business licenses revoked, been ordered to close down, or been dissolved, but have not been deregistered. In order to solve these problems, the “Company Law” (Revised in 2023) includes a mandatory deregistration clause in Article 241, though the provisions are relatively principled. On September 5, 2025, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued the “Implementation Measures for the Compulsory Deregistration of Company Registration” (hereinafter referred to as the “Implementation Measures”), which sets forth specific provisions on the detailed operational requirements, procedures, and supporting documents…

On July 31, 2025, the Supreme People’s Court issued the “Interpretation II of the Supreme People’s Court on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in the Trial of Labor Dispute Cases” (Fa Shi 〔2025〕 No. 12）， which will take effect on September 1, 2025. The following provisions of this Interpretation deserve attention: 1. Handling of labor relations in special circumstances Circumstance Provisions Subcontracting, sub-subcontracting, and affiliation If a party accepting the subcontract or sub-subcontract lacks legal business qualifications, or the affiliated party lacks legal business qualifications, the worker may claim that the contractor or the affiliated entity with legal…