CNIPA Departments and Offices

CNIPA has the following institutions:

1. General Office.  The General Office is responsible for the daily operation of the CNIPA, and works on safety, confidentiality, public complaints, open government, informatization, etc. It also conducts policy research, organizes and carries out work related to intellectual property publicity, and releases important government information.

2. Department of Treaty and Law. The Department of Treaty and Law coordinates and puts forward plans for the drafting and modification of international intellectual property treaties and for foreign-related intellectual property negotiations; drafts relevant laws, regulations, and codes; conducts the legality review of normative documents, administrative reconsideration, administrative litigation, etc.; formulates examination policies and criteria for judging the confirmation of authorization rights for trademarks, patents, appellations of origin and geographical indications, and integrated circuit layout designs, and organizes the implementation of applications, acceptance, authorization , etc.; organizes legal awareness campaigns.

3. Strategic Planning Department. The Strategic Planning Department formulates national intellectual property strategies and policies and measures to build national intellectual property strength; organizes and carries out intellectual property risk prediction and early warning; formulates national intellectual property development plans and plans for the examination, registration and documentation of trademarks, patents, and appellations of origin and geographical indications; undertakes the budgeting and final accounting of the CNIPA and the financial, asset and infrastructure planning of the units directly under the CNIPA; carries out IPR statistical investigation, analysis, and release.

4. Intellectual Property Protection Department. The Intellectual Property Protection Department carries out work related to building the intellectual property protection system; organizes the formulation of standards for judging trademark and patent infringement and inspection, appraisal and other relevant standards for protection and law enforcement; undertakes administrative adjudications such as trademark review, patent reexamination and invalidation; protects appellations of origin and geographical indications, integrated circuit layout designs, distinctive marks, Olympic signs, World Expo signs and other official signs, and directs the handling of local intellectual property disputes, rights protection assistance and dispute mediation.

5. Intellectual Property Utilization Promotion Department. The Intellectual Property Utilization Promotion Department formulates and implements management policies and systems to strengthen the creation and utilization of intellectual property; directs and standardizes the evaluation of intangible assets of intellectual property; carries out work related to compulsory patent licensing, trademark and patent pledge registration, and transfer license filing management, etc.; formulates policies to regulate intellectual property transactions; and formulates policies and measures for the development and supervision of intellectual property intermediary services.

6. Public Service Department. The Public Service Department organizes the implementation of the national intellectual property information public service system and IT application development, carries out work related to the formulation of intellectual property information processing standards, and promote the facilitation, intensification and efficiency of information services; conducts the dissemination and utilization of trademark, patent and other intellectual property information, the research, analysis and release of intellectual property application, authorization, registration, registration and other information-related work.

7. International Cooperation Department (Office of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs). The International Cooperation Department (Office of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs) coordinates foreign-related intellectual property affairs; studies foreign development trends of intellectual property; formulates policies on foreign-related work of intellectual property; carries out foreign-related negotiations; organizes international liaison, cooperation and exchange activities on work related to intellectual property; handles related matters involving Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

8. Personnel Department. The Personnel Department carries out the work on officials and personnel, organizational setup, labor wages and education of the CNIPA departments and offices and CNIPA's directly affiliated units and directs the building of relevant personnel teams; carries out the work of retired officials.

The CNIPA Party Committee. It is responsible for the Party-mass work of the CNIPA and its directly affiliated units in Beijing.

The administrative establishment of the CNIPA shall be 143 staff (including three members of the two committees, i.e. the NPC Standing Committee and the CPPCC National Committee, and one reserved for aiding the outlying areas). The CNIPA has one commissioner, four deputy commissioners, and 24 departmental directors and deputy departmental directors (including one full-time deputy secretary of the CNIPA Party Committee).