On the morning of December 20th, Deputy Commissioner from SIPO, LI Yuguang met the Austrian delegation led by Mr. Josef Mayer, the Vice-Minister of the Economy and Labor Ministry. The topics on the meeting included IP protection in China, China-Austria Bilateral Trade and joint IP promotion projects for the Austrian Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) which had invested in China or intended to invest in China.

Vice-Minister Mayer came to China to attend the 19th China-Austria Joint Committee Meeting on December 20th to 22nd. During his stay, he asked to meet the SIPO officials to know the recent development in IP protection and relevant measures.

At the SIPO-Austria meeting, the Austrian delegation paid particular attention to SME IP protection. The Austrian SMEs, which produce more than 90% of the Austrian GNP, hesitate about investing in China, for their lack of information on IP protection in China and their assumption about high cost of IP protection. Deputy Commissioner LI briefed the Austrian delegation on China's IP protection and IP enforcement conditions, especially on SME IP protection and relevant measures. Further, he gave specific advice for the Austrian companies in China or intended to invest in China on IP protection.

Besides, the two sides discussed how to further enhance their cooperation. Deputy Commissioner LI pointed out that for more than a decade, SIPO had been cooperating smoothly with the Austria Patent and Trademark Office, and on that basis, the two sides could further cooperate. They could hold joint projects to inform the Austrian SMEs of IP protection laws and relevant measures. Such projects could be like a joint seminar on IP Protection for companies and enterprises held in Austria or in China. Vice Minister Mayer recognized the IP developments in China. He hoped that the two sides could cooperate on higher grounds and wider levels in the IP field. Beside Austria Patent and Trademark Office, the Economy and Labor Ministry and the Austrian Commerce Chamber were all willing to work with SIPO to provide service for the Austrian SMEs and to promote economy development in both countries.

2005-01-10

2005-01-10