China Supreme People’s Court Expands Protection for Prior Trademark Rights in Beer Can Design Patent Case

O. Simsek — Tue, 19 May 2026 13:00:00 +0300

The Supreme People’s Court of China has issued an important judgment clarifying how conflicts between design patents and prior trademark rights should be assessed under Chinese law. In the widely discussed “Beer Can” case, the Court adopted a broader interpretation of “prior lawful rights” and emphasized that the key criterion in such disputes is the likelihood of confusion caused by the implementation of the design patent.

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China Supreme People’s Court Expands Protection for Prior Trademark Rights in Beer Can Design Patent Case