On February 14 it was learned from the State Office of Intellectual Property Protection (SOIPP) that this year's top priority of IP service is determined as follows: with priority to serve reform and opening-up and the development of renovating enterprises in 2007 the 50 IP service centers throughout the country will expand their capacity to offer services to outsourcing cities, state economic technology development zones, hi-tech parks, import and export and other areas. At the same time, a fast smooth service mechanism by hotline "12312" will be set up in order to step up efforts on IP protection publicity, communication and coordination with enterprises. By law-enforcement communication and coordination we shall further enhance the dovetail between administrative enforcement and case supervision and management, that is to settle a number of major cases by making joint efforts, putting up one's brass plate or any other means.

The SOIPP has recently co-issued with the Ministry of Commerce the Notice on Holding a Good Show on IP Protection by Full Use of the IP Service Hotline "12312", planning how to launch IP protection shows. With priority on foreign shows that are nationwide, influential and of long duration, great efforts shall be made on better service and publicity, a hotline "12312" IP service and information platform will be set up to accept reports and complaints from enterprises, right owners and the public, and they shall be timely transferred to the judicial authorities for disposal.

It is learned that since the first group of IP service centers started operation last June the 50 service centers have opened up a report hotline "12312" and an online report service system (www.ipr.gov.cn), formulated sound systems and regulations, formed a professional rank of several hundred persons, and organized and launched publicity and extension activities targeted at enterprises and the public. The SOIPP and its German counterpart have conducted a few times of law-enforcement training, and the IP service centers in Beijing, Shanghai and other cities have likewise conducted cooperation and exchange with the U.S. and the EU. As a result, a new pattern of IP protection has taken shape "characterized by the upper and the lower operating as a whole, departments interacting with each other, right owners and the public participating in a broad way."

(XINHUA)