Source: China IP News

"Promotion Plan for the Implementation of the National Intellectual Property Strategy and Acceleration of Building an IP Powerhouse in 2017" (hereinafter referred as Promotion Plan) was approved for practice by the Inter-Agency Council for Implementation of IP Strategy of the State Council, scheduling five key works and 103 measures.

Regarding the high-profile IP reform, the Promotion Plan seeks to ease control in IP representation services in general while strengthening necessary control and offering quality administrative service, to facilitate construction of trial and model areas abundant in IP representation services, establish IP evaluation system of innovation-driven development, and relax the requirements for patent agency qualifications.

As for enhancement of IP protection, the Promotion Plan proposes to strengthen long-term mechanism, address problems in key fields, reinforce daily law enforcement, promote revision in the Patent Law and the Copyright Law, advance IP "three-in-one" court system with IP-related civil, administrative and criminal disputes all tried under one umbrella, tighten up measures on online piracy, launch the Breeze action in upholding a positive image of Made in China overseas, offer industry-specific education on IP compliance .

With respect to IP utilization, the Promotion Plan aims to improve quality of IP creations, strengthen comprehensive utilization of IP, improve patent quality, facilitate trademarks registrations, launch IP operation platforms, formulate IP work schemes in enterprises, universities and research institutions, develop IP in trust for SMEs, promote regional IP strength choosing and building, and optimize construction of national patent information public services.

In addition, the Promotion Plan specifies measures on choosing oversea destinations for IP and relevant risk control, improving international cooperation, bolstering policy and human resources.