Procuratorial organs are committed to punishing crimes of trade secret infringement in accordance with the law, promoting the improvement of trade secret protection rules, fostering synergy in trade secret protection efforts, and continuously optimizing the environment for innovation and business, said an official from the Intellectual Property Procuratorial Department of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) at a press conference on the theme of protecting trade secrets and safeguarding industrial development. The press conference was hosted by the State Administration for Market Regulation on Aug 18.
From 2023 to June 2026, procuratorates nationwide accepted 488 cases involving 1,242 individuals for review and prosecution of trade secret infringement crimes. The SPP has guided procuratorates at all levels in handling a number of criminal cases involving infringement of core technologies of enterprises in fields such as chip manufacturing, high-end equipment, new energy, and new materials, providing strict protection for genuine innovation.
Procuratorates have cracked down on crimes involving the theft, espionage, illicit purchase, or illegal provision of trade secrets to overseas entities, effectively safeguarding national scientific and technological security. They have also advanced incidental civil litigation attached to criminal proceedings, addressing criminal accountability and civil liabilities in an integrated manner while reducing the litigation burden on the parties involved.
In handling trade secret infringement cases, procuratorial organs have also actively promoted the improvement of the two‑way connection mechanism between administrative penalties and criminal penalties for trade secret violations in order to establish a closed‑loop governance system.
To address trade secret protection loopholes and social governance issues identified during case handling, procuratorates have released guidelines for businesses on trade secret protection and issued procuratorial recommendations, so as to promote institutional improvement, plug vulnerabilities, and strengthen risk prevention.
