Transition Measures for China's Revised Integrated Circuit Layout Design Protection Regulations Announced

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China's CNIPA issued Announcement No. 694 on September 30, 2026, outlining transition measures for the revised Regulations on the Protection of Layout-Designs of Integrated Circuits, effective October 15, 2026. This represents a strategic restructuring of semiconductor IP rules in China rather than a mere administrative adjustment. The measures divide cases based on the October 15, 2026 filing date. For instance, Article 5 specifies revocation procedures for different filing dates, while Article 7 details requirements for transferring rights to foreigners and filing licensing contracts. Businesses without semiconductor operations in China are unaffected. However, for IC designers with cross-border operations, these new revocation procedures could be leveraged by competitors, making compliance with the revised rules critical.