BEIJING

Fake Nike shoes seized

Beijing industry and commerce authorities have seized more than a dozen counterfeit Nike shoes and stockings at a sporting goods shop on Dongsibei Dajie.

Acting on a tip, officials with the Beijing Industry and Commerce Bureau's Dongcheng District branch raided the shop which had no authorization to sell Nike products.

Bayer wins

Bayer CropScience announced earlier this month that it has won an insecticide patent invalidation action filed by a domestic company.

The Re-examination Board of the State Intellectual Property Office has decided in favour of Bayer's fipronil patent, rejecting Anhui Huaxing's challenge to fipronil's patent validity.

Fipronil, sold under the trademark "Regent," is a new generation insecticide to replace the highly toxic organophosphate insecticides in China.

The invalidation action was initiated by the Anhui Huaxing Chemical Co, after Bayer started a patent infringement action against the company in September 2003.

After careful examination for more than a year, the Patent Re-examination Board ultimately confirmed the legality of Bayer's fipronil patent. Bayer CropScience (Hangzhou) is the exclusive licencee of the Fipronil patent in China.

ZHENGZHOU

Henan highlights IPR

Henan provincial government has placed additional importance on intellectual property rights (IPR) protection and introduced an IPR development guideline.

The guideline says that the province aims to build a self-IPR development framework by 2010 and introduce IPR development projects to 100 key enterprises.

By the end of 2010, 10 out of 100 key enterprises will be able to apply for 100 patents annually, 40 will hold patents of more than 100 and the rest will hold at least one self-developed patent, the guideline indicates.

GUANGZHOU

Fake toys wiped out Guangdong Industrial and Commerce Bureau has cracked down on a series of cases involving in counterfeit goods and piracy products.

The crackdown, initiated by the Guangdong bureau early this year, targeted at slashing the number of fake trademarked products.

The counterfeit goods seized are mainly in six categories - food, toys, daily chemical products, construction materials, film products and electronics.

The fake goods include film with the Kodak brand name, liquor produced in Zhaoqing of Guangdong but with the famous Wuliangye brand name, counterfeit microphones in famous brand names, toy dolls with the Bratz brand name, fake washing powder using the Libai and Diaopai brand names and cement with the Changle label.

CHANGCHUN

Heavy fines on violator

A local regulation on protecting famous brand names has been launched in Jilin Province in Northeast China.

Jilin Regulation on Famous Trademark Cognizance and Protection was passed by Jilin People's Congress and put into effect earlier this year.

The 23-act regulation includes definition of famous trademarks, famous trademarks cognizance principles, application procedures for famous trademarks, work procedures and qualifications for a famous trademark assessment panel and how to use and protect famous trademarks.

Violators of famous trademarks will be ordered to stop violation actions and will be fined as much as 30,000 yuan (US$3,600), according to the regulation.

(China Daily 04/18/2005 page5)