The cross-strait cooperation in IPR protection including patent, trademark, copyright, new varieties of plants and certificates of origin fares well since the two sides signed the Cross-Strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) and an agreement on intellectual property right protection in June last year.

In the first half of 2011, the mainland received over 700 priority requests for patent and 13 for trademark by Taiwan compatriots; Taiwan also received over 400 priority requests for patent and 16 for trademark from mainland; 12 of the well-known trademarks determined by the mainland's Trademark Office under the State Administration for Industry and Commerce are from Taiwan. Based on a specific arrangement for the patent bar exam released in last July, for the first time, the mainland exam is open to Taiwan residents, the first group of 234 Taiwan residents have signed up to test their luck this year.

In recent years, cooperation in IPR protection across the Taiwan Straits becomes more closely. In 2010, the mainland received 22,419 patent applications and 10,767 applications for trademark registration filed by Taiwan enterprises while Taiwan also received 755 patent applications and 1,603 applications for trademark registration filed from mainland.

(China IP News)