To mark World IP Day on April 26 and China IPR Week last week, the Intellectual Property Protection in China (IPR in China) website of the Ministry of Commerce unveiled voting results for the 2007 China Top Ten IPR Events last Thursday in Beijing during a news conference.

 

On the basis of opinions from IPR experts and related governmental departments, the website selected 30 nominee events from among the recommended ones, and then carried out public voting and experts' appraisals.

 

World IP Day is an initiative of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and has been observed annually on April 26 since its inception in 2001. The day is meant as a chance to reflect on the importance of human innovation and to celebrate the important role that IP plays in our daily lives.

 

China Daily, Central China Television's Law Today program and China News Service are also the co-partners of the website's move to unfold the selected results of the 2007 China Top Ten IPR Events.

 

Here are the top ten IPR events for last year:

 

(1) Hu Jintao backs National IPR Strategy

 

General Secretary Hu Jintao urged implementation of the National IPR Strategy in the Report to the 17th National Party Congress on October 15, 2007. The drafting of the strategy is in its final stage and the conclusions of 20 research reports included in the strategy have been done. It covers system building, law enforcement, talent training and public awareness regarding the IPR protection. The strategy will be carried out soon.

 

(2) National IP protection plan launched

 

The National Working Group for Intellectual Property Rights Protection launched the 2007 national IP protection plan on April 2, 2007. Compared with the plan for the year before, the new plan has added 72.5 percent more measures. The new plan included 276 measures in 10 aspects such as IP related legislation, law enforcement, publicizing, training, international collaboration and service. With strict implementation, 268 measures or 97 percent of the total were accomplished.

 

(3) China patent applications reach 4 million

 

By December 24, 2007, China had accepted over one million patent applications in the past 18 months, bringing the total to four million since 1985 when the country's Patent Law took effect. Statistics from the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) showed that patent applications accepted by SIPO reached one million after 15 years. It took 50 months for the figure to reach two million, and only 27 months for three million.

 

Of the latest one million patent applications accepted, about 60.8 percent were filed by Chinese applicants. Only 47.8 percent were filed by Chinese among the first one million patent applications.

 

(4) China trademark registrations hit 3 million

 

As of the end of 2007, China's trademark registrations totaled 3.04 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 29.19 percent.

 

In 2007 alone, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce accepted 708,000 applications, topping the world for six consecutive years.

 

The applications from the overseas enterprises kept an annual growth of 6.1 percent, reaching 103,000, accounting for 14.5 percent of the total.

 

(5) National conference on genuine software convened

 

The National Working Conference on Genuine Software was held in Beijing. By the end of 2007, more than 1,500 large-scaled enterprises said they had installed genuine software. Former Vice Premier and Leader of the National Working Group for Intellectual Property Rights Protection Wu Yi says the software industry is a basic and strategic industry for national economic development and is the key to the advancement of information technology. She says it is important to intensify software copyright protection, promote the use of genuine software and create a healthy and orderly market environment for the software industry.

 

(6) China Customs awarded for efforts against counterfeits and piracy

 

For the first time, the World Customs Organization honored China Customs for their contribution in fighting counterfeit goods and piracy. Cases uncovered by China Customs have been growing by over 30 percent each year. China Customs authorities uncovered more than 8,400 infringement cases valuing more than 1 billion yuan from 1995 to the end of March 2007.

 

(7) Support for time-honored heritages

 

To reinforce the Notice of the State Council on Strengthening Cultural Heritage Protection and the protection of Chinese cultural and artistic traditions the ministries of Culture and Commerce jointly released a policy notice on reinforcing protection for "time-honored cultural heritages".

 

The ministries stress the importance of identifying, protecting and supporting local and regional cultural and artistic traditions, such as music, dance and arts and handicrafts.

 

(8) SPC promulgates opinions on strengthening IPR trials

 

The Supreme People's Court issued opinions on "Strengthening IPR Trials to Offer Judicial Guarantees" which put forward a series of working opinions and specific measures.

 

Among other measures, the opinions stipulate that the standard of compensation for IPR infringements will be increased and civil punishments will be reinforced correspondingly.

 

(9) WCT and WPPT come into force

 

WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty formally came into force as of June 9, 2007, and were approved by the Standing Committee of the 10th National People's Congress on December 29, 2006. By then, China has joined six international treaties in the IPR field.

 

(10) China approves protocol amending WTO's TRIPS agreement

 

China ratified the Protocol Amending the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), a move it believed would harm many developing countries, particularly the least-developed countries. By the end of December 2007, altogether 41 WTO members, including US, Switzerland, the South Korea and India, have approved the agreement.

 

(China Daily 04/28/2008 page9)

2008-04-28

2008-04-28