1.Patent Documentation Service

    Allocation of patent documentation resources: In 2000, the office continued to enlarge its collection of patent documentation. By the end of the year, it had received 4836 full-text CD-ROMs from 28 countries and international organizations with 4,150,000 patent specifications (back files included). As compared with the previous year, the office replenished full-text patent specifications from Korea, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. In addition, the office received 1194 search CD-ROMs for search of patent data in 49 countries and international organizations and 20,000 microfilms. It also collected 1427 gazettes for patent, utility model and design published by 26 countries and international organizations, 681 foreign search tools, 445 domestic search tools and International Designs Bulletin. EMBASE was added into the non-patent foreign language search database. 86 kinds of Chinese periodicals were supplied to the full-text database of Chinese academic periodical. In the year 2000, the office collected 224 books in science and technology in Chinese, 116 in foreign languages, 192 kinds of Chinese periodicals and 15 kinds of foreign periodicals. In collecting the IP books, the office purchased 160 Chinese books, 61 foreign language books and booked 80 kinds of foreign language books. The office sent to 19 countries the Chinese patent documentation, and the 1999 annual report were sent to 20 countries and international organizations.

    Examination service: The office finished IPC classifications of 396,000full-text patent specifications from China, USA, PCT and Europe and allocation of 455,000 full-text specifications. 73, 000 WO backlogged documentation was processed within the year. At the end of 2000, classified files had reached a total volume of 15,670,000. The examiners made 5131 visits to the Classified Library in one year, an increase of 66% over the previous year.

   The application of network technology brought a great leap forward in the documentation service for examination. This year, the network made it possible to transmit the documentation copy requirements which were both efficient and speedy. Within the year, 1300 copies were downloaded from the Internet for examiners and the transmission was implemented by means of network. Next year, paperless transmission will be fully realized. The office also collaborated with some specific institutes in foreign countries to solve the documentation deficiency so as to provide needed documentation for examination.

    Patent documentation and information service: 30,000 visits were made by readers from and outside the office, a decrease of 15% as compared with the previous year. This was due to the reasonable distribution of patent documentation all over the country and increased accesses for readers to receive the patent documentation. This was also the result of the office's acceleration of modernization on documentation service. The readers can get quick and convenient service without paying visit to the library. This year, 934,000 pages of documentation was copied for the public and 1351 search subjects were completed.

    In order to meet the needs of the development of patent work, patent documentation library moved into a new location, and adjustments and reconstruction were made accordingly. An electronic reading room for patent documentation was established in which 40 computer terminals were installed. It is used to search full-text CD-ROMs of major countries free of charge for the public. The office also established an intellectual property library collecting documentation materials such as Chinese and foreign language books and conference papers. It is another service open to the readers outside the office. Library Integrated Automation Management system was adopted, and after its formal operation, it will be possible to include acquisition, cataloging, circulation and web OPAC (online Public Access Catalog)within the system.

    Planning and construction of intellectual property digital library: In the year 2000,the office, in order to meet the requirements of digitalized patent information and network development, shifted its main task to the planning and construction of intellectual property digital library and self-development of patent databases. "Patent Full Image Searching System" on LAN was initiated in December, and the US patent full-text can be searched over the intranet, a precious experience for future construction of BNS database in the office. Significant progress was achieved in the development of "Chinese Patent searching System (CPASS)" (temporary name) which covers 5 countries and 2 organizations. This system was quipped with more efficient search software and is more convenient for getting access to full images. At present, the project is under the trial phase.

    Support and guidance to national patent documentation work: In September, Conference on National Patent Information and Technology Innovation was held in Lanzhou, Gansu Province. Attendants included local patent administrative authorities, enterprises and institutes from 26 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. The main subjects of the conference included new strategy of technology innovation on patent information utilization of patent documentation and information by enterprises, digitalization and network of the patent information, etc.

    The office continued to distribute Japan and European/International search CD-ROMs to local patent administrative authorities and some enterprises and institutes. It also added European/International search CD-ROMs to 7 local patent authorities and provided user training. By the end of 2000, the office had provided European search CD-ROMs free of charge to 91 entities. As a response to the strategy of the central government on western development, the documentation department also organized, in cooperation with local authorities, training seminars on search in Chengdu of Sichun province, Lanzhou of Gansu province and Guiyang of Guizhou province. The total trainees reached 220 and it was warm welcomed.

    Patent documentation research: The only specific academic periodical-Patent Documentation Research had issued 16 publications since its establishment in 1996.165 articles were published. The subscribers had reached 330.

2.Intellectual Property Publications

    In 2000,Intellectual Property Publishing House published 144,251 patents for inventions, utility models and designs. Of the total, 55,893 were utility models, 12,099 were patents for inventions and 37,963 were designs. 38,296 applications for inventions were published pursuant to the law, an increase of 9% over 1999.The Publishing House published 52 issues (or 104,000 volumes) of Chinese Patent Gazettes. It also photocopied 6,877,937 pages of patent specifications and produced one set of CD-ROM containing 60 discs which covered 52 issues of Chinese Patent Gazette and patent specifications.

    Since January 1,2000, all the Chinese patent information could be accessed over the Internet. People can search all the information contained in Chinese Patent Gazette and Chinese patent specifications through the Internet (www.CNIPR.com). It was a great promotion to the dissemination of Chinese patent information. The net publication system was under improvement and it will be updated to a new version within 2001.

    In 2000, the publishing house extended its topics to include all the intellectual property and chosen such books as For Intellectual Property Officials, Intellectual Property Almanac, Intellectual Property Dictionary, etc. It also published intellectual property books such as Know Yourself and Your Competitor, Win the Intellectual Property Case, Intellectual Property Issues in the 21 Century China. In addition, it published various collections of cases for the protection of intellectual property such as Analyses of Typical Cases in Patent Disputes, Intellectual Property Protection on Digital Technology, Business Method Review and Its Litigation, Patent Cases in Court of Appeals of Federal Circuit in 1998.In order to provide newly revised Chinese Patent Law to the public, the publishing house produced the brochure on the same day of its publication. It also published in time Guidance for the Second Revision of Chinese Patent Law, which was edited by the office, and had achieved better effect.

    Within the year, the office edited 2 sets of intellectual property training materials, one for dissemination of intellectual property among the officials, the other for the training of intellectual property professionals. They were to be published in succession.