1. Patent Documentation Service

In 1999, SIPO received 1.32 million full-text patent specifications from 25 countries and international organizations. Among them,267,000 were in paper form,992,000 were on CD-ROMs (3,548 pieces) and 61,000 were on microfilms. In 1999, SIPO received 1,100 search CD-ROMs and 17,261 search microfilms, covering patent data from 49 countries and international organizations. In the same year, SIPO also received 3,146 search publications, such as the patent gazettes and annual indexes and abstracts, from 34 countries and international organizations. In addition, SIPO received 4,712 books in Chinese, 138 books in foreign languages, 4,287 periodicals in Chinese, and 3,284 in foreign languages.

The year 1999 saw the establishment of search files for 30 PCT applications falling into 130 IPC sub-classes and the availability of newly established 6,860 search files.

In 1999,SIPO classified 465,000 full-text patent specifications from four countries. By the end of 1999, search files totaled 15.14 million, among which 7.97 million were full-text specifications. The search file library was visited 3,316 times by examiners, and approximately 30,000 pages of documents were copied or printed. The Internet reading room, opened in October 1999, was visited 344 times by readers; total on-line time reached 255 hours.

The Patent Documentation Library was visited 35,000 times by readers in 1999,and the Non-Patent Literature Library was visited 942 times. By the end of 1999,1.18 million photocopies were provided for both SIPO and external users. The Library also conducted 1,635 searches based on readers' specific requests. Around 200 participants attended five separate training seminars on patent documentation.

In 1999,the Patent Documentation Library developed and implemented the Japanese Patent Full-Text Search System. As a sub-system of the Chinese Patent Information System, it makes the search of Japanese Full-Text Specifications possible for SIPO and external users through the Office's mainframe system. This sub-search system supplements SIPO's full-text database within the Office's automated search system. In order to further improve the automated search system, the Library, in cooperation with other related entities, developed a database on Chinese and foreign periodicals. This database has turned the searching of non-patent literature and the viewing of full-text on the LAN into reality for SIPO. Because more non-patent literature is now available in electronic form and on the net, searching capacity has been greatly enhanced and more thorough documentation has become more readily available for patent examination purposes.

To better serve patent examination, SIPO's documentation department enhanced its services. It downloaded patent and non-patent documentation materials from the Internet and also borrowed such materials from other libraries, and provided them to examiners.

In 1999, SIPO delivered the second batch of 48 ESPACE/ACCESS CD-ROMs to local patent authorities and key enterprises and institutions throughout China. Training sessions on the use of the CD-ROMs for patent search were delivered to 46 entities simultaneously.

To date, 83 sets of ACCESS CD-ROMs have been distributed in two batches to local institutions, including 32 provincial and municipal patent authorities(including Tibet),3 patent authorities of municipalities under special state plans, 32 patent authorities of municipalities(above county level), and 16 enterprises and institutions. SIPO also delivered PAJ CD-ROMs to 3l local patent authorities (Tibet not included).

2. Intellectual Property Publications

In 1999,the Intellectual Property Publishing House published a total of 132,411 patents for inventions, utility models and industrial designs. Of the total, 53,832 were patents granted for utility model,6,423 were patents granted for invention, and 35,785 were patents granted for industrial design. Over 36,371 applications for invention patents were published pursuant to the law,39% higher than in 1998.

The Publishing House produced 52 issues of the Chinese Patent Gazette-104,000 paper copies were made, and one 60 CD ROM-set containing 52 issues of Chinese Patent Gazette was produced. The Publishing House also produced 573,333 photocopies of patent specifications.

On October 12,1999,on the approval of State Press and Publication Administration, the Patent Documentation Publishing House was re-named the Intellectual Property Publishing House. It was also recognized and awarded as an excellent publishing house by the State Press and Publication Administration.

In order to help develop the market economy and disseminate patent information more quickly and precisely, the Publishing House, under the support of the State Development Planning Commission, established the China Intellectual Property Web-site (www.CNIPR.com), which contains information in the field of intellectual property. The site enables the public to have quick and easy access to comprehensive IPR information and to trace the development of high and new technologies more quickly and accurately. The site will publish latest patent information on a weekly basis according to the prescribed time for patent publication, and general IPR information.

In order to establish full-text coded databases for Chinese patent specifications, the Publishing House initiated a project to utilize OCR technology to convert Chinese patent documentation into coded form. The project gained approval and support from the State Development Planning Commission. Feasibility research and initial development is now under way. In 1999,the Publishing House published over 90 new books, among which nearly 30 were related to intellectual property, including: Analyses of Typical Cases in Patent Disputes, Legal Protection of Intellectual Property, Selected Cases of Patent Administrative Litigation and Cases of Patent Re-examination and Invalidation in Industrial Design. Such publications have favorably influenced the public.