According to the Wall Street Journal, Chinese courts are invalidating Western firms’ patents in industries deemed critical to the country. According to the outlet, officials in the United States and the European Union have once again accused China of stealing Western technologies.
According to the officials, Beijing is using its courts and patent panels to infringe on foreign intellectual-property rights while also assisting Chinese businesses, and the efforts are centered on industries critical to the country, such as technology, pharmaceuticals, and rare-earth minerals.
According to the media outlet, a Chinese legal panel invalidated a decade-old patent held by a US manufacturer of X-ray equipment, while an unnamed Spanish mobile-antenna designer lost a similar battle in a Shanghai court.
Another Chinese court, according to reports, ruled that a Japanese conglomerate violated antitrust laws by refusing to license its technology to a Chinese rival.
The conflict is centered on the United States’ and China’s growing competition for technological and economic superiority. The United States has increased its restrictions on China’s technological industries. In October, the United States prohibited chip exports to China.
Beijing, for its part, has accused Washington of politicizing science and technology in order to maintain the United States’ dominance in those fields. While the US has repeatedly accused China of stealing and misusing US technologies for military purposes.
