Wang Jingchuan, Commissioner of the State Intellectual Property Office

The year 2001 is the first year in the new century. All personnel in our Office have worked very hard in a pioneering spirit and new achievements have been scored in the field of intellectual property.

This year, together with efforts of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce and the National Copyright Administration, we organized a series of major publicity and celebration activities for the first World Intellectual Property Day taking "Today Creates Future" as its theme. Such activities have given rise to new surge of publicity in intellectual property throughout the country and contributed to the creation of a harmonious social atmosphere for respecting knowledge and protecting intellectual property.

This year, along with the development of international and domestic situations, the role and status of intellectual property right in our country's economy, science and technology and social life become more evident. State and Party leaders have made numerous important instructions to the work of intellectual property. Premier Zhu Rongji's remarks at the 10th Meeting of the State Leading Group for Science, Technology and Education and Vice Premier Wen Jiabao's letter to the National Conference on Patent Work have both set new requirement for our work. These encouraging requirements have become the guidelines for our intellectual property work.

The year 2001 is also the first year of the Tenth Five-Year Plan for Patent, a year that will witness a new phase in patent work.

--We have published the revised Implementing Rules for the Patent Law. A series of new related policies and regulations in the patent field will become effective on July 1 together with the new Patent Law and the Implementing Rules for the Patent Law. In the meantime regulations incompatible with the changing time are rescinded. In support for the implementation of the revised Patent Law and the Implementing Rules, and the Regulations for Protection of Integrated Circuit Layout Designs, we have promulgated and implemented the related Examination Guideline, the Measures on the Administrative Enforcement of Patent, the Implementing Rules for the Regulations on the Protection of Integrated Circuit Layout Designs, and the Enforcement Measures on the Administration of Integrated Circuit Layout Designs. To cater for China's accession to the WTO, some regulations are abrogated at the same time.

--In the year 2001, the Office received 203, 573 patent applications, an increase of 32,891 over the previous year with a rate of 19%. The total number of patents granted was 114,251, an increase of 9% over the previous year. There were 1,932 requests for patent reexamination and invalidation, and 2,105 cases were closed, maintaining the trend of closing more cases than received and shortening the time span of closing cases. By December 31, the Office has received 62 cases for registration of integrated circuit layout designs, and 32 were published and issued certificates. From December 11, the day when China became a member of the World Trade Organization, the Office has begun to accept applications of integrated circuit layout designs by foreign nationals.

--By paying due attention to the organic combination of the government guidance and the market mechanism, innovating the management system, cultivating a market mechanism and promulgating policies, we have made comprehensive and multilevel efforts on the administration of patent. The Office published, jointly with the State Commission for Economy and Trade, the Trial Plan for Patent Work in Enterprises, which established 60 patent trial enterprises. The number of patent trial cities was increased to 20 and 11 such cities established in 1999 were reviewed and approved. In addition, three Model Zones for Industrialization of Patented Technologies were established and efforts in this regard will be further continued. A successful exhibition of Yangling Model Zone for Industrialization of High and New Agricultural Technologies was organized. The Suggestions on the Enhancement of Administration in Local Patent Work was put forward and printed. Patent administration in local organs and ministries will be continued to strengthen. Research in patent strategy and policy was actively carried out, as well as the assessment of patent assets. Certification in patent advertisement will draw continuous attention and the evaluation of China Patent Award has been finished.

--Statistics on the patent administration and enforcement in 54 administrative organs for intellectual property is completed. We have also published the Notice for Campaign against Counterfeiting in Intellectual Property Rights, demanding the local IP administrations to crack down on intellectual property infringement in the circulation of commodities, which has achieved relatively good results. We have also adopted a series of measures protecting the intellectual property rights.

--New progress was made in patent automation and information system. While providing service system for the whole Office and the society, and providing modern means for the dissemination of intellectual property in the world, we are upgrading the flow management system (CPMSIII) according to set plans. Renovation of the government net and intranet was also completed. The in-depth indexing and trial operation of patent documentation database for traditional Chinese medicine was finished. The Yangling Information Center for China Agriculture Intellectual Property Rights was established. With respect to standardization, four new standards were introduced.

--Service in patent documentation was oriented to the society and patent examination. Collection of and exchanges in patent documentation with other countries were continued. About 26,000 person/times were received for searching and reading service in the whole year. Entrusted service also increased remarkably in comparison with that of last year. Intensive processing and integration of various databases was carried out, and more than 100 specific databases were set up for 20 enterprises. The variety in intellectual property publications also increased, and the publication of 2000 Yearbook for Intellectual Property was widely acknowledged by the public.

--Our attitude towards the international affairs relating to intellectual property is active and conscientious, which has brought about new progress in this regard. Our international reputation and status was greatly elevated. A mechanism featuring cooperation and dialogue among China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea was set up. Our relations with such international organizations as the World Intellectual Property Organization and the European Patent Office have been further enhanced, and several large-scale international seminars with great impact were co-organized. Bilateral relations with the developing countries like Thailand and Vietnam, in the field of intellectual property, were established. We have continued to consolidate and develop the cooperation and exchange with certain countries in the intellectual property field.

--In the publicity for patent work, by raising the public's awareness of major events in the intellectual property field, a fairly good result has been achieved. In particular, the first World Intellectual Property Day, the implementation of the revised Patent Law and its Implementing Rules, and the WTO Accession and Protection of intellectual property, have all drawn great attention from the general public. In the meantime, the publicity function of the intellectual property system was intensified. Remarkable achievements were made in personnel training. Training program oriented to society amounted to 29. While attention being directed to knowledge upgrade for examination work, professional training was organized for newly recruited staffers. The China Intellectual Property Training Center educated more than 3,300 people this year, and has just launched its distance-learning program.

--To adapt to the new situation and strengthen the comprehensive capacity for our intellectual property work, we have set up the Development and Research Center for Intellectual Property and the Examination Assistance Center. One hundred and fifty-five patent examiners were recruited.

--All the staff in our Office have studied President Jiang Zemin "July 1" Speech" in an earnest manner, which consolidated our moral ethics and anti-corruption campaign.

--However, we are fully aware that the situation is arduous and the task is formidable.

--Let's continue to study the "July 1" Speech of General Secretary Jiang, and in the spirit of the fifth and the sixth sessions of the Fifteenth Plenary Session of the Communist Party of China, in accordance with the criteria in the "Three Representatives" remarks, keep pace with the times and get actively engaged in next year's work. 

  Wang Jingchuan