Trademark applications rise

The number of foreign companies' trademark applications in China increased rapidly in the past two years as China took effective measures in trademark protection, according to the State Administration of Industry and Commerce (SAIC).

The number of trademark applications in China by foreign companies reached 706,000 last year, an increase of 17.1 per cent over 2004, said Cheng Meng at an international seminar on intellectual property rights (IPR) protection.

The seminar was part of the Tenth China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) held in Xiamen, east China's Fujian Province.

In 2004, the number of trademark applications in China by foreign companies exceeded 60,000 for the first time, and the actual figure rose 29.82 per cent over that of 2003.

"Last year China became the designated country with the largest number of extended trademarks in the Madrid Trademark International Enrollment Alliance," Cheng says.

The Madrid Trademark International Enrollment Alliance is an international organization for trademark registration and had 79 members by the end of last year.

"The increase in the number of trademark applications in China shows foreign companies' confidence in China's trademark law system, trademark protection and market environment," Cheng says.

Alliance established

An International Intellectual Property rights (IPR) Development Alliance will be established at the 16th China Invention Exhibition held in late September in Dongguan, Guangdong Province.

The alliance was jointly initiated by the China Invention Association, Guangdong Invention Association, Hong Kong Invention Association, Hong Kong Productivity Council, and the Dongguan Invention Association.

The alliance will aim to provide services for reputable enterprises and individual inventors to realize industrialization and IPR protection by utilizing professional knowledge of the members and experts and adopting international practices and principles.

Meanwhile, the alliance will attempt to build an international platform for overseas cooperation and accustom enterprises and individuals to the new global economy.

The members of the alliance will consist of IPR organizations at home and abroad, innovative enterprises, IPR protection organizations, IPR law institutions, risk investment companies, and experts.

IPR rules for bank

China Construction Bank (CCB) has released CCB Administrative Measures on intellectual property rights (IPR) for internal IPR administration. It is the first complete measure of IPR administration rules in China's banking industry.

The measures are intended to standardize CCB's IPR administration work, strengthen IPR protection and utilization, and encourage inventive creations.

Meanwhile, the measures will also promote independent innovation and enhance CCB's core competitiveness.

An insider at CCB says the measures mainly stipulate IPR administrative principles, clarify administrative responsibilities and standardize procedures related to the application, maintenance, licensing, and transfer of IPR and other related activities.

Suspected infringers scrutinized

According to a report from the temporary office for Intellectual Property rights (IPR) protection at the China (Dalian) International Garment and Textile Fair, the office has organized daily investigations into enterprises suspected of infringement.

It has dealt with two enterprises and filed one case. The office has also carried out strict management on visitors.

In addition, the temporary office has provided advisory services to domestic and foreign business people for a total of 96 times during the fair.

Experts say the International Garment and Textile Fair in Dalian is one of the best for IPR protection among expos in China.

Customs clampdown

Customs authorities in Southwest China's Sichuan Province have confiscated 58 counterfeit name-brand goods that were going to be mailed overseas, as China's customs clamps down on intellectual property rights (IPR) infringement.

The 58 counterfeit articles seized by Chengdu's customs included world-famous brands such as Coach, Louis Vuitton, Juicy Couture and Gucci, says Yue Chongguang, an official with the customs' office.

Most of the fake goods were being directly mailed to buyers or retailers in the United States, Japan and Britain, Yue says.

The cases, however, do not often lead to charges as senders often provide false contact information to the post office, says Li Weihua, another customs official.

The recent seizures show that China's customs agents will be more stringently checking for IPR infringements cases via post, Li says.

The customs' of Chengdu will also improve training and techniques used by customs workers to detect fake goods, Li says.

IPR forum held

Organized by the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), an international forum on intellectual property rights (IPR) protection was held in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province.

At the forum, relevant officials from MOFCOM, the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) presented China's IPR protection system.

They focused on the Measures for the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights during the forum, rules promulgated by MOFCOM, the SAIC, the National Copyright Administration (NCA), and the SIPO in January 2006. They also spoke about the special campaign "Operation Blue Sky" to stop IPR infringement that was jointly launched by the above four departments.

(China Daily 09/18/2006 page9)

2013-07-17