Tian Lipu, Commissioner, State Intellectual Property Office

The year 2005 was the 20th year implementing the Chinese Patent Law and a crucial year in implementing the goals of the Tenth Five-Year Plan of the National Patent Work.  In this year, under the guidance of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China,, the staff with the spirit of seeking the truth and practice, working hard and diligently, continued accomplishing the major goals of the Tenth Five-Year Plan of the National Patent Work, and basically accomplished the major goals of patent examination capability in the Tenth Five-Year Plan.  Relevant work was actively and efficiently conducted.

—The State Council established the leading group for the formulation of the National Intellectual Property Strategy (NIPS).  The secretariat of the leading group was set up in the Office.  The formulation of NIPS was completely started.

—In-depth activities of keeping CPC members advanced was conducted.

—The formulation of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan for IP (opinion-soliciting version) was finished.  

—Legislation of the patent legal system continued.  The preparatory study phase of the third amendment of the patent law was conducted.  The amendment of the Examination Guideline was initiated.  The Methods on Compulsory Licensing of Patents related to Public Health was issued and provided a more comprehensive legal support to the possible public health issues.

—Capacity in handling patent application receiving, examination, reexamination and invalidation was significantly strengthened.  The registration of layout designs of integrated circuits developed in a healthy manner.  By December 31, 2005, the Office received a total of 2,761,189 patent applications, 2,257,515 or 81.8% of which were from home.  During the period of the Tenth Five-Year Plan, the annual increase rate of all patent applications was 22.8% while the rate for invention was 27.3%.  In term of domestic applications, the share of invention applications had been on the constant rise.  Same condition was for service invention.  In 2005, domestic service invention applications accounted for 6.6%.  The examination periods of invention, utility model, design and resolution period of reexamination and invalidation were 24, 11, 8 and 12 months respectively.  The expected goals were basically accomplished.  In 2005, the number of the three kinds of patent applications was over 476,000, hitting a 34.6% increase year on year.  Invention applications reached 173,000, hitting a 33.2% increase.  During the year, 214,003 patents were granted, a 12.5% increase.  In the year, 5,317 requests for reexamination and invalidation were received and 3,219 were resolved.  In term of layout designs of integrated circuits, 269 applications were registered and 263 certificates were issued.

—Significant achievements were scored in national IP administration.  According to the Directions on the Work in the Model Zone for Implementing the IP System and the ideas of promoting through models and of developing through demonstrations, the Office propelled the IP work of cities, high-tech parks, companies and organizations at the two levels, models and demonstrations.  The work in the Model Zones for implementing the IP System across the nation was further regulated and enhanced.   Developments were also seen in National Patent Commercialization Project, construction of specialized IP information centers, trade facilitation through IP project, revitalization of northeast traditional industrial bases.  Field study of the protection of traditional medicine in southeast Guizhou was conducted.  The Office also successfully organized the selection of Ninth Chinese Patent Award.

—The Office continued the National Intellectual Property Protection Special Campaign, which continuously beefed up patent administrative enforcement.  The Office organized the national IP administrations' deployment of the State Council's National IP Protection Special Campaign.  As a group leader participated in the State Council's IP Protection special campaign supervision, the Office led the NO.5 Supervision Group of officials from the State Council ministries and judicial authorities to Shaanxi and Shanghai, and thoroughly checked their efforts in conducting the campaign.  The Office promoted the inter-region joint enforcement and further improved inter-agency meeting mechanism among the Office, Ministry of Public Security, SAIC, NCAC, Supreme People's Court and Supreme People's Procuratorate.   The Office held a national training course for patent administrative enforcement officers.

—New achievements were made in publicity and training.  In close coordination with the National Intellectual Property Protection Special Campaign and the formulation of the National Intellectual Property Strategy, the Office conducted in-depth publicity, trained different groups of people with different objectives and methods.  The activities promoted the improvement of people's IP knowledge and achieved great results.  During the process, media organizations including CPC and State media such as Gov.cn and the China Intellectual Property Training Center played more and more important roles. 

—Phase results were achieved in several key projects of IT construction, providing necessary safeguard for the acceleration of patent examination speed and the increase of examination quality.  The final check of the Chinese Patent Management System (CPMS III) was started.  The transfer of system maintenance was carried out as planned.  In term of development of patent information search and service platform, the Office jointly with the local governments had built 13 patent information centers for 13 different technological areas.  The procedure of the project was confirmed.  The project suggestion letter had been drafted.  The testing of the search engine had begun.

—Patent documentation, IP publications and patent information service continued the pace of innovation and further promoted the distribution and utilization of IP information.  On the base of previous years, patent documentation, IP publications and patent information service kept enhancing service awareness, enabling companies and local agencies increase their awareness in using patent documentation and IP information service.  The impact of Chinese IP News, other publications and patent information service kept growing and they preliminarily had their own styles. 

—The Office participated in the development and reform of international norm setting with a more positive approach and further developed and expanded international cooperation.  IP cooperation agreements were signed with the governments of Peru and Mongolia respectively.  In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the cooperation between the Office and EPO, the two offices held a ceremony at the Great People's Hall, recalling the cooperation achievements and looking into the future.  The two offices also held the sixteenth joint committee meting and signed 2006 cooperation memo.  The Office signed the Plan of Actions on Patent Cooperation with Thailand Department of Intellectual Property.  Friendly cooperative relationship was maintained with the traditional partners such as the German Patent and Trademark Office.

—Continue conducting cooperation and exchange with Hong Kong and Macao SARs in IP area.

—Patent office complex project approved.  The State Council approved the patent office complex project and designated special fund from the central government budget for the project.

The year 2006 is the opening year for the implementation of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan of IP Development as well as a crucial year for the completion of the formulation of the National IP Strategy.  The CPC Central Committee proposes the scientific development outlook and the strategic thinking of building a innovation-type country.  These provide a clear direction for the Office's works, raise higher demands and offer new developmental opportunities.

In the new year, workload is heavier and task is more arduous.  We are closely standing with the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Hu Jintao as Secretary General, hoisting the banners of Deng Xiaoping theory and the important thinking of Three Represents, diligently executing the spirits of the party's 16th Congress, third plenary, fourth plenary and fifth plenary of the16th Congress, thoroughly implementing the scientific development outlook.  We will work together, hard, seek the truth and innovate, go along with times, and write a new chapter of the country's IP work. 

Tian Li pu