1. Publicity

In 2003, facing higher requirements on IP work from home and abroad, especially when assaulted by the sudden SARS break in the first half of the year, IP publicity sustained the challenges and defeated SARS as other works by continuously publicizing the nation's IPR laws and policies and elevating public awareness.

In this year, publicity work of the SIPO firmly carried out the spirits of the party's Sixteenth Congress and the Third Plenary Session of the Sixteenth Congress by focusing on the major decisions and strategic planning of the party's Central Committee and the State Council, increasing the awareness of service. With the goal of IP publicity work to serve the nation's grand goal, economic construction, on the one hand, the SIPO publicized the rise of the whole nation's innovative awareness and capacity while on the other hand trying to create a healthy IP protection environment, making sure the world to know a real China comprehensively for the sake of the nation's external communication and cooperation.

In this year, the SIPO further enhanced communication with the media and education of IP knowledge to reporters. Through more coordination among the SIPO's internal departments, the quality of publicity work was enhanced too.

In this year, the SIPO further harmonized central and local publicity work by enhancing guidance and administration of local IP publicity work.

Although the WIPO Summit on Intellectual Property was not held as planned due to the SARS outbreak, the publicity preparation for it was adequate. A TV documentary Intellectual Property in China was shot. Brochures and law collections were compiled and distributed. During the SARS outbreak, the SIPO publicized patent applications relating to SARS prevention and treatment by using the media. The SIPO's achievements in preventing SARS on the one hand and conducting patent examination on the other hand were reported. Important events, for example, China-EU IP Cooperation Program, Meeting of China, Japan and Korea IP Heads, IP Development Strategy Seminar and China Dalian Patent Trade Fair were extensively reported. Organize the press'interviews of the SIPO's commissioners. The well-prepared IP Fortune, a TV show that probed IP issues, would be broadcast in 2004. From 2003, on every April 26, a TV show on the public's participation of selecting good inventions and innovations would be played based on the combination of local TV programs on patent. The first-ever such show was very successful in 2003. In order to bring IP knowledge into classrooms of universities, middle schools and elementary schools, the SIPO provided assistance in founding the National Young People Creativity web site, organized the compilation of Learn to Invent (Grade School Version), administered the publicity work for the National Labor and Skill Contest. Aiming at showing IPR may serve the issues concerning agriculture, farmers and countryside, in cooperation with other government agencies, the SIPO produced an eight-episode program Modern Agriculture and Patent and broadcast at CCTV's agriculture channel, becoming very popular among farmers and agriculture technology workers. Near the year's end, the SIPO held a National Patent Information Meeting in Haikou to review the year's work. At the meeting, organizations and individuals who excelled in this area were awarded.

Press Conference for EVD IPR Strategic and Industrial Alliance on November 18.

Deputy Commissioner Zhang Qin(Middle) is interviewed by CCTV reporters on the commercialization of patented technology.

Deputy Commissioner Xing Shengcai is invited by CCTV to comment on the contest projects as a member of the awarding committee during the innovation contest for seniors of the program Red Sunset.

Deputy Commissioner Zhang Qin receives a plate inscribed Concerns with Agriculture,Rural Area and Peasants, from the leader of the Central Agriculture School, Science and Technology Training Center of the Ministry of Agriculture.

National Patent Information Meeting.

2. Training

(1) Public Training

In order to implement the task improve IPR protection, a task demanded by the CPC Sixteenth Congress, meet the need of the current situation and IPR work, increase the public awareness of IPR protection, upgrade companies'capability and level of applying IPR strategy, increase the output capacity of proprietary IPR and foster a team of IPR professionals, the SIPO continued expanding IPR training across the nation and held over 20 series of training courses, winning positive responses from the public.

The contents of training included IPR laws and regulations, basic rules of WTO and TRIPs, IPR strategy and plans, protection of advanced, core technologies and proprietary IPRs and the developmental trend of international intellectual property system, providing guidance practical and theoretical guidance for heads of government and party, companies, high tech parks and other R & D engineers, IPR professionals.

In order to increase the IPR protection of high tech parks and train them how to make good use of IPR system, the SIPO held two training courses jointly with the Torch Center of the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The holding of the training course for high tech park managers enabled heads of 53 high tech parks across the nation had a deeper understanding of the new situation of IPR protection and how high tech companies applying for IPR strategies.

The holding of the training course for directors of state science and technology companies incubators stressed on the importance of IPR to companies, especially high tech companies and SMEs.

For the promotion IPR work of patent pilot cities, the SIPO held training courses for patent pilot cities.

The holding of the Fifth Training Course for IP Office Directors offered an opportunity for heads of IP offices across the nation to update knowledge and grasp the latest IPR development information. Issues such as standardization and patent protection, trade-related IPR issues were welcomed by the participants.

In order to make the local areas active in holding IPR training, the SIPO held over 50 series of training courses of different levels and types to educate government leaders at different levels, R & D engineers of companies and patent administrative enforcement officers on IPR laws, IPR strategy and theory and practice of IPR administrative enforcement.

(2) Training within the Office

Utilizing more scientific, standardized and systematic approaches, the SIPO trained its staff in professional skills, foreign languages, laws and high tech in 2003.

Based on extensively studying materials from home and abroad and the actual situation of the Office, the SIPO devised an outline for training of human resources, formulating a basic structure for future training in systematic and standardized way. Establish a database of 149 part-time tutors who were either recommended by their departments or selected based on surveys. Train 272 new personnel recruited in 2003 for four months. Organize compilation of textbooks, Fundamentals of Substantive Examination of Invention Patent, Keys to Fundamentals of Substantive Examination of Invention Patent and Standard Cases of Substantive Examination of Invention Patent, and organize revision of reading materials for EPOQUE Training. These textbooks laid a firm foundation for unifying lecturing method, guaranteeing lecturing quality and unifying examination standard. Organize 15 lectures with a total of 2,000 participants on human resources, high tech, IPR laws, litigation, US patent system, Canadian patent system and documentation search of US patents. Organize examiners to participate in various academic conferences, internship, field studies, on-job training and on-job diploma education. According to the Regulation on Administration of Civil Servants by the Ministry of Personnel, the SIPO held a week-long orientation course for 272 new civil servants and a pledging ceremony. Train 250 staff on laws. Hold oral English courses and courses on Japanese, French and German. Organize an intensive English course for reserved leaders. In order to make the tutors aware of how to teach, the SIPO held first of the kind courses on Teaching Skills for Tutors course and Teaching Invention Patent Examination attended by 100 staff. Playing a positive role in increasing the level teaching of office staff, the courses included teaching skills, modern education ideas and skills and training principles for adult training.

In order to meet the need of large-scale training of a staff body of 1,500 people and many new examiners, the SIPO planned to set a multimedia network of teaching systems. The study and preparatory work for the project was finished.

Commencement Ceremony for new examiners in 2003.

(3) Training Work of the China Intellectual Property Training Center (CIPTC)

Distance learning was an important task demanded by the SIPO's management last year. After two years of efforts, CIPTC established the IPR distance learning platform and setting up two phases of courses in 2003, first phase of course IPR Law Fundamentals with 1,017 registered students, second phase IPR Law Fundamentals, and Patent Documentation Information and Search with 1,361 registered students. 426 students from universities attended the two phases of courses.

In 2003, following the overall training plan of the SIPO, CIPTC held 22 various types of training courses with over 3,000 participants. The courses targeted party and government leaders at different levels, heads of companies of important technologies, science and technology engineers, patent examiners, patent agents and IPR managers and focused on issues such as basic principles of IPR, export and import trade-related IPR issues and application of patent documentation in companies'innovative activities. The lecturers were from the SIPO, Trademark Office of the State General Administration for Industry and Commerce, National Copyright Administration, China Academy of Social Sciences and other renowned universities and big companies. With their flexible styles of training, the courses had won universal applauds.

CIPTC also finished the second phase of national IPR training programs demanded by the SIPO.

Continuing to train high-level IPR professionals, CIPTC and China Politics and Law University jointly held a new series of graduate course on civil and commercial law. Nearly 70 people from the SIPO, Trademark Office of the State General Administration for Industry and Commerce, courts of law and IPR agencies attended.

Training IPR personnel for Tibet was an important work CIPTC undertook to implement the Grand Development of the West strategy. The work, starting from 2000, was in its fourth year of operation. Meeting the actual local need, with the assistance from some SIPO departments, CIPTC held an IPR training course for party and government leaders in Tibet.

In order to further carry out the spirits of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, CIPTC continued holding IPR training courses for leaders above county level. With the great assistance from local IP offices, CIPTC held courses targeting leaders above county level in nine provinces, Jiangsu, Tianjin, Guangdong, Shanxi, Hebei, Anhui, Inner Mongolia, Guizhou and Qinghai, training 720 officials.

Exploring forefront IPR issues was one of CIPTC's focuses. CIPTC and the China Academy of Social Sciences jointly held a seminar on the conflict of rights between commercial labels and solutions, discussing relevant theories from different angles.

Holding international and regional seminars was also an important task of CIPTC. In 2003, CIPTC hosted the Mainland, Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR IPR Symposium. Continue cooperation with John Marshall Law School and organize the study of graduate students before studying at the law school. The cooperation program between CIPTC and International Intellectual Property Training Institute of the Republic of Korea formally started in 2003. The two sides visited each and exchanged training experiences. CIPTC continued organization of the Chinese version of the WIPO distance learning program and held three courses with 759 attendants. CIPTC also entertained over 20 guests from IP offices and universities of the United States, Europe, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

The construction of the second phase of the lecture hall had been going smoothly. The top of building was sealed in December.

Commissioner Wang Jingchuan(L4),Deputy Commissioner Yang Zhengwu(L5),Wu Boming(L3) and Tian Lipu(L2) lays foundation stone for the second lecture building of the China Intellectual Property Training Center.

3. Academic Activities

The China Intellectual Property Society (CIPS) held the Second Standing Committee of the Third Plenary Session and the Academic Annual Conference 2003 from April 3 to 4 in Changping, Beijing. Over 170 CIPS Directors, authors of excellent papers and special guests attended the session.

The session reviewed and approved the working report of CIPS, amendment of the Charter, elected 17 new directors, standing members, deputy director generals and standing deputy director generals, and added six standing director general level and deputy director general level organizations. The Annual Conference also collected 118 papers, from which 2 won first prize, 5 second prize, 9 third prize and 23 other prize.

On July 29, CIPS held an expert forum on Internet and IPR protection in Beijing.

CIPS held roving seminars on IPR protection practice in August, November and December in Dalian, Shenzhen and Beijing respectively. Each month, CIPS held a lecture on patent application examination. The lecturers were from frontline IPR offices such as SIPO, SAIC, Beijing High and Intermediary People's Courts and China Academy of Social Sciences.

Upon the invitation from CIPS, a 24-member delegation of Japan Intellectual Property Association (JIPA), mainly IPR heads of large Japanese companies visited China and held academic exchanges from 15 to 19 October 2003.

On October 23, CIPS and relevant offices jointly held a conference on how Chinese companies use the US IPR protection system in Beijing. Around 200 people from all over the country participated. At the meeting, experts lectured on US 337 and how Chinese companies dealt with it.

In 2003, CIPS published through post office the journal Intellectual Property (Bi-monthly), six issues per year. Aiming at including more information, the size of the journal was added to 64 pages. One supplementary edition was also published. CIPS also edited and published the Trend and Forecast of Development of Patented Technologies by Industries and Right Conflict between Trademark and Company Name.

2013-07-17