Recently, the State Council promulgated the newly revised Regulations on the Protection of Integrated Circuit Layout Designs, which will come into effect on October 15, 2026. This marks the first systematic revision in over 20 years, with highlights including the expansion of protection scope to cover integrated circuit layout designs with photonic, quantum, and other functionalities, the improvement of application review procedures, the strengthening of exclusive rights protection, and the promotion of the utilization of layout designs.