In 2005, the Office participated in the development and reform of international norm setting with a more positive approach and further developed and expanded international cooperation. 

1. WIPO and UPOV-Related Activities

February 14, May 31, June 13 and November 21, the Office made a revision proposal on biocides at respective sessions of the Committee of Experts of the International Patent Classification Union (IPC).

February 21 to 25, December 12 to 16, the Office attended two sessions of the WIPO Meetings of the International Authorities of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

March, April and October, the Office had joint working group meetings with the WIPO.  On November 28, the Office started formal electronic transmission of the priority documents of the PCT applications, earning the Office the fourth national office with this capacity after the offices of the United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

April 3 to 9 and October 24 to 28, the Office led the Chinese delegations to two sessions of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV). 

April 11 to 13, June 20 to 22 and July 20 to 22, the Office led the Chinese delegations to three sessions of the WIPO Inter-sessional Intergovernmental Meeting (IIM).  Deputy Commissioners Li Yuguang and He Hua attended respectively. 

April 11 to 25 and October 17 to 25, the office held two national roving seminars on PCT, in five cities, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Wuhan and Shijiazhuang.  The four-week-long seminars in both halves of the year attracted 900 participants.  PCT experts from WIPO and the Office lectured on various topics including application strategies to PCT users and patent professionals of the nation.  The experts also visited local PCT users and potential users.  Commissioner Tian Lipu and Deputy Commissioners Li Yuguang and He Hua attended respectively.

April 27 to 29, Deputy Commissioner Li Yuguang led the Chinese delegation to the Eighth Session of the WIPO Program and Budget Committee in Geneva, Switzerland.  Deputy Commissioner on behalf of the Chinese delegation Li made interventions on the WIPO program and budget for the 2006/2007 biennium. 

May 2 to 3, at the invitation of the WIPO, Deputy Commissioner Li Yuguang delivered a presentation, Intellectual Property and Development – China’s National Experiences, at the International Forum on Intellectual Property and Development in Geneva, Switzerland. 

May 25 to 31, the Office attended the WIPO Seventh Session of the Working Group on Reform of the PCT and the Eleventh Session of the Standing Committee on the Law of Patents from June 1 to 2.

May 31 to June 1, the Office, WIPO and the People’s Government of Gansu Province jointly held WIPO-SIPO High-Level Seminar in Lanzhou, Gansu.  Some 180 participants from 13 western provinces and WIPO experts attended the meeting.  Deputy Commissioner attended the opening ceremony and made a keynote presentation titled Intellectual Property Protection in China. 

June 6 to 11, the Office and the National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC) attended the Eighth Session of the WIPO Intergovernmental Committee on Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore. 

July 2 to 8, WIPO sent a mission to study China’s IP education.  The mission firstly studied the elementary education, vocational education and citizen education in Foshan, Guangdong and visited the Ministry of Education and Tsinghua University.  SIPO also offered a roundtable discussion on IP education for the mission.

July 6 to 8, the Office and WIPO jointly held a sub-regional seminar on PCT.  Four experts from WIPO and the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) lectured 30 participants from the Democratic People’ Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Kazakstan and Vietnam.  Deputy Commissioner Li Yuguang made the opening remarks. 

September 12 to 16, the Office held Advanced Training Course on Industrial Property in the Global Economy for the WIPO Worldwide Academy (WWA) and the Swedish Government.  Over 30 participants from Asia, Africa and Latin America also visited the Office and the Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC).  Deputy Commissioner Li Yuguang made the opening remarks. 

September 24 to October 3, WIPO held its Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO 41st Series of Meetings in Geneva, Switzerland.  Deputy Commissioner Li Yuguang led the Chinese delegation made up of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, SAIC, NCAC, China’s Permanent Mission in Geneva, Intellectual Property Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKIPD) and the Office.  Important issues, such as development agenda, future work of the Standing Committee on the Law of Patents and the Standing Committee on the Law of Copyrights, Diplomatic Conference of the Trademark Law Treaty, issues concerning IPC Union and PCT Union were discussed at the Assembly.  The Chinese delegation demonstrated its standings in many of the issues.  During the meeting, Dr. Kamil Idris, WIPO Director General met the Chinese delegation led by Deputy Commissioner Li Yuguang. 

October 15 to 23, the Office and the WWA jointly held a training course for the heads of IP offices in western China in Geneva.  Deputy Commissioner Lin Binghui led the heads from the 14 western provincial IP offices to the course. 

November 15, the Office and WIPO jointly held WIPO Seminar on the Hague System for the International Registration of Industrial Designs.  The Seminar, the first such seminar on the international registration of industrial designs, had a significant meaning in promoting the understanding of the Hague system.  WIPO Assistant Director General Ernesto Rubio and three experts attended.  Deputy Commissioner Li Yuguang made the opening remarks. 

November 21 to 23, the Office and WIPO jointly held WIPO High-Level National Seminar on Intellectual Property Education.  Experts from WIPO, the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore and Chinese IP and educational agencies delivered presentations for 120 participants.  Deputy Commissioner Li Yuguang made a keynote presentation titled the Role of Intellectual Property Education in the Promotion of National Development..

2. Bilateral Cooperation

January 24, Ms. Shirin Elahi and Mr. Omer Bullens of Project Leader EPO Scenarios of the European Patent Office (EPO) interviewed Commissioner Wang Jingchuan on the roles of future patent system on economic and social development. 

January 24 to 28, Ms. Maria Ludovica AGRÒ, Director of the Italian Patent and Trademark Office visited the Office, attended the first–ever joint committee meeting between the two offices and signed the working plan for bilateral cooperation in 2005.  The visit that had been the first of such kind by the Italian IP authority since the conclusion of IP cooperation agreement between the two countries marked the establishment of the formal cooperative relationship between the two offices.

January 29 to February 2, Deputy Commissioner Li Yuguang attended the EPO-sponsored Meeting of Heads of Intellectual Property Offices in Europe and Asia in Hong Kong, and made a presentation titled SIPO’s Latest Developments.   During the Meeting, SIPO and EPO held a talk on cooperation. 

February 1 to 6, EPO President Alain POMPIDOU came to Beijing and Shanghai, held talks with SIPO on the strategic partnership between the two offices and visited the Office’s departments and the China Intellectual Property Training Center. 

February 28, former Director for International Technical Cooperation of the EPO, French Senator Richard Yung visited the Office.

March 6 to 12, Deputy Commissioner Tian Lipu attended the Venice Award for Intellectual Property 2005 in Italy and had friendly discussions with heads of other countries’ IP offices.

March 8, Deputy Commissioner He Hua met Mr. Paul R Carter, President, China/Hong Kong GlaxoSmithKline Limited and exchanged ideas on pharmaceutical patents. 

March 21, Mr. François LOOS, French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade visited the Office and held talks on intellectual property protection in China and France. 

March 29 to April 9, Ms. Heike Bahrmann, Vice President of Bundesdruckerei GmbH visited the Office and signed a bilateral cooperation memo with the IP Publishing House.

April 1, the Office and KIPO jointly held the Eleventh Meeting of the Commissioners in Shanghai.  Both sides presented their latest developments, discussed the steps for further cooperation and exchanged ideas on the important international IP issues of common concern.  A meeting memo was signed. 

April 11, the Office, SAIC, National Institute of Intellectual Property of France, French Embassy and Union des Fabricants de France jointly held Sino-France Exchange in the Field of Intellectual Property: Seminar on the Protection of Intellectual Property in France in Beijing.  Some 150 participants attended the Seminar that was a positive action in promoting trade relations between the two countries.

April 11 to 12, Mr. Benoit Battistelli, Director General of the National Institute of Intellectual Property of France (INPI) attended the 19th joint committee meeting between the two offices and signed a cooperation memo for 2006. 

April 14, Commissioner Wang Jingchuan and Mr. Kanissorn Navanugraha, Director General of the Thailand Department of Intellectual Properly (DIP) held a talk and signed the Plan of Actions on Patent Cooperation between SIPO and DIP.  The Plans provided that a focal point mechanism would be established between the two offices and cooperation would be strengthened in the fields of human resources development, information exchange and intellectual property protection.

May 7 to 24, Secretary General Chen Zhonghua attended the annual spring meeting of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) in the United States.

May 9, Commissioner Wang Jingchuan met Mr. Chinbat Namjil, Director General of the Intellectual Property Office of Mongolia (IPOM), discussed the measures to strengthen cooperation and exchange ideas on the important international IP issues of common concern. 

May 11 to 20, Deputy Commissioner Li Yuguang discussed bilateral cooperation matters with Prof. Joseph Straus, President of Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property, Competition and Tax Law.  During his visit, President Straus also lectured on patent protection of biotechnology at Renmin University.

May 23 to June 3, Deputy Commissioner Zhang Qin led an IP promotion mission made up of the Office, SAIC and Beijing High People’s Court to Italy, France, Denmark and Sweden.  Presentations on the Chinese IP system were given in the four countries.

June 2, Commissioner Wang Jingchuan and Peruvian Vice Foreign Minister Armando Lecaros de Cossio signed the Agreement of Cooperation of Intellectual Property between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Peru.  Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation and communication in IP legislation, training and international IP affairs, and establishment of the legal system in protecting genetic resources, traditional knowledge and folklore. 

June 4 to 18, Deputy Commissioner Lin Binghui led a delegation to Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Texas A & M, University of California - San Diego, University of Hawaii in the United States and exchanged ideas on technology transfer and intellectual property with experts there. 

July 4 to 10, an Office delegation visited the Russian Intellectual Property, Patent and Trademark Office, discussed cooperation and signed a meeting memo.

July 8, Italian Minister for Productive Activities Roberto Cota visited the Office and exchanged opinions with Commissioner Tian Lipu on the promotion of intellectual property protection in Italy and China.

July 10 to 24, Deputy Commissioner Li Yuguang led an automation delegation to the United States Patent and Trademark Office and exchanged information on office management related to automation.

July 11 to 16, the Office and the EPO jointly held the International Joint Training Seminar on Administrative Issues Related to the Work Flow for Granting of Patents at the China Intellectual Property Training Center.  Fifty-five Chinese and foreign participants attended.  This was the third joint seminar held by the two offices targeting participants from developing countries.  Deputy Commissioner He Hua and EPO Vice President Manuel Desantes issued certificates of attendance to the participants.

July 12, Commissioner Tian Lipu met USPTO Director Jon W. Dudas and exchanged opinions on the developments of international intellectual property system, formulation of the Chinese National Intellectual Property Strategy and pharmaceutical patenting.

July 13 to 28, Secretary General Yang Tiejun joined a mission organized by the CCPIT for studying US intellectual property system.

July 15, Deputy Commissioner Zhang Qin was interviewed by the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shinbun on the history, features and developments of the Chinese intellectual property system, and the Chinese government’s efforts in enhancing intellectual property enforcement and education.

July 15, Commissioner Tian Lipu met Mr. Peter Carl, Director General of External Trade DG of European Commission, and exchanged opinions on the cooperation between China and EU and issues of common concern.

July 24 to August 6, Deputy Commissioner Xing Shengcai led a delegation to Australia and New Zealand, and held 4 lectures on the IP protection in China, introducing the latest developments of the Chinese IP protection system.  The visit enhanced the understanding of Chinese IP protection by the business community of Australia and New Zealand.

August 10, Deputy Commissioner Tian Lipu met Mr. Sidney Taurel, Chairman and CEO of Eli Lilly & Co. and exchanged ideas on pharmaceutical patents. 

August 17, Deputy Commissioner Lin Binghui met the delegation of Young American Political Leaders Council and introduced the Chinese intellectual property system and protection.

August 23, Mr. Rupert Bondy, Global Senior VP and Chief Legal Counsel of GlaxoSmithKline Limited visited the Office and exchanged opinions with Deputy Commissioner He Hua on relevant issues.

August 26, Deputy Commissioner Li Yuguang met Prof. Büettner, Global VP of Siemens and exchanged opinions on cooperation.

August 28 to September 4, Deputy Commissioner Zhang Qin studied IP protection in AITI EXPO and exchanged ideas on IP strategy formulation with Japan Intellectual Property Strategy Promotion Office and Japan Patent Office.

August 29, Commissioner Tian Lipu met Mr. J. Frank Mermoud, Special Representative for Business Affairs of the US Department of State.

August 29 to September 2, Deputy Commissioner He Hua met a senior delegation from the Mexican National Institute of Intellectual Property.  This was the first delegation from the Institute since the conclusion of the bilateral cooperation agreement in 2003.

September 5 to 9, the Office successfully organized China-ASEAN Intellectual Property Seminar.  Commissioner Tian Lipu delivered the opening remarks. 

September 13, Commissioner Tian Lipu met Ms. Liew Woon Yin, Director General of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) and discussed the organization of lectures on Chinese intellectual property system and the establishment of China IP Helpdesk in Singapore.

September 15, Commissioner Tian Lipu and Deputy Commissioner Li Yuguang met Mr. James Stallings, Vice President of IBM and discussed possible cooperation in automation area. 

September 15, Commissioner Tian Lipu met Bulgarian Ambassador Angel Orbetsov and discussed possible cooperation between the two countries.

September 16 to 22, the Office discussed the details in the memorandum of understanding with the Patent Office of the Cooperation Council for the Arabic Nations of the Gulf and finalized the memorandum.

September 27, Commissioner Tian Lipu met Mr. Jim Gradoville, Chairman of American Chamber of Commerce in China and introduced the latest developments of the Office and China’s measures in IP enforcement.

September 28, Commissioner Tian Lipu met Mr. Ian Harvey, Chairman of Intellectual Property Institute (UK) and discussed cooperation issues.

October 7 to 14, Commissioner Tian Lipu and Ms. Teresa Mogin, Director General of the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office held the third joint committee meeting of the two offices and signed the 2006 cooperation plan.

October 9 to 16, Commissioner Tian Lipu met Dr. Mariam Schamlu, China Project Leader of the German Patent and Trademark Office and discussed the update of the 2004 cooperation memo signed by Commissioner Wang Jingchuan and President Schade as well as the proposed cooperative activities in 2006.

October 17 and 21, Deputy Commissioner Li Yuguang met Mr. Gérard GIROUD, Principal Director and Mr. Johan P. R. AMAND, of International Technical Cooperation of EPO.

October 10 to 16, Commissioner Tian Lipu led a delegation to the Russian Intellectual Property, Patent and Trademark Office, and attended the celebration of its 50th anniversary.  Commissioner Tian and Russian Director had a bilateral meeting and signed the cooperation memo for 2006.

October 16 to 20, at the invitation of the Bulgarian Patent Office, Commissioner Tian Lipu visited, had a bilateral talk and signed the 2006/2007 cooperation plan.

October 21 to 27, Deputy Commissioner Li Yuguang led an automation delegation to the Intellectual Property Office of Mongolia (IPOM) and had a constructive discussion on the details of cooperation in automation.  During the visit, Deputy Commissioner Li also met Mr. Ulaan Chultem Vice Premier in charge of intellectual property issues and Mr. Lundeejantsan Danzan, Vice Chairman of the Mongolian Parliament and proposed to sign the IP agreement between the two countries.  This set the tone for the future signing.

November 2, Deputy Commissioner Li Yuguang met Mr. Alexander Schaub, Director General of Internal Market DG of European Commission and discussed mutual arrangements of interns and other issues of common concern.

November 4, Commissioner Tian Lipu and JPO Commissioner Makoto NAKAJIMA held the 12th SIPO-JPO Commissioner Meeting and signed a memorandum.

November 9, Deputy Commissioner Li Yuguang met USPTO Commissioner Jon W. Dudas and exchanged opinions on the formulation of China National Intellectual Property Strategy, patent and standard and varoius other issues.  Both sides agreed to establish high-level dialogue mechanism. 

November 21, Commissioner Tian Lipu met Mr. Yury A. Lebedev, President of Russian New Technology Group Innovation Union and exchanged ideas on the IP protection in China and Russia.

November 25, Deputy Commissioner Zhang Qin met Mr. Serge Janssens de Varebeke, President, European Union Chamber of Commerce in China.  Mr. Janssens de Varebeke handed Deputy Commissioner Zhang Qin the European Business in China Position Paper 2005. 

November 21 to December 2, Secretary General Chen Zhonghua led a mission on the third-phase office housing project to the EPO and the Italian Patent and Trademark Office and had a study on the construction of offices and development planning and management.

November 28, Commissioner Tian Lipu and Mr. Chinbat Namjil, Director General of the Intellectual Property Office of Mongolia (IPOM), on behalf of their respective governments, signed the Intellectual Property Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of Mongolia.  As a result of the friendly cooperation between SIPO and IPOM, the Agreement opened a new page of intellectual property cooperation between the two countries and elevated the cooperation to the state level.  This is the first state level agreement initiated by the Office.

December 1, Commissioner Tian Lipu attended the fifth policy dialogue of the heads of SIPO-JPO-KIPO, citing the future cooperation of the three offices, cooperation plan in 2006 and signed a memorandum.

December 1, Deputy Commissioner Li Yuguang met Ms. Marjory E. Searing, Vice President of Pfizer Global Health Group.

December 4 to 8, Mr. Alain POMPIDOU, President of the European Patent Office visited China.  Both offices held a celebration for the 20 years of cooperation, with the attendance of Commissioner Tian Lipu, Deputy Commissioner Li Yuguang, former Commissioners of SIPO, EPO President Alain POMPIDOU, China Academy of Sciences Vice President Cao Jianlin, European Commission Ambassador Serge ABOU and 130 guests.  The two offices also held the 16th joint committee meeting and signed the bilateral technical cooperation memo for 2006.  During his visit, President POMPIDOU was granted honorary doctorate and professorship by Peking University and China Renmin University.  Commissioner Tian Lipu escorted President POMPIDOU to Tianjin and studied the local IP administration.  CPC Polibureau Member and Tianjin Party Secretary General Zhang Lichang met the delegation.  NPC Standing Committee Vice Chairman and President of China Academy of Sciences Lu Yongxiang also met the delegation. 

2013-07-17