China General Administration of Customs (GAC), the headquarter of China Customs, made arrangements on IPR protection recently. It asked China customs at all levels to readjust their attention in law enforcement timely and to expand its enforcement so as meet the requests of building an innovative country and implementing the IP strategy.

“To enforce IPR protection in the customs system is the necessity in building an innovative country and creating good environment for international trade,” GAC said. Mr.Hu Jintao, the General Secretary of Communist Party of China (CPC) asked to implement IP Strategy in his report to the 17th CPC National Congress. “Chinese government has been paying great attention to enhance self-innovation and building an innovative country, and taking them as the core of China’s development strategy and the key in enhancing the overall national power,” GAC said.

At present, China’s Outline of the National Program for Medium to Long-Term Scientific and Technological Development (2006-2020) is being implemented steadily, and the investment to independent innovation has been continuously increased. The basic theory research, research in leading technologies and technological research for public welfare are being stepped up progressively. The market-oriented system for technological innovation with enterprises as the main body, and the cooperation of enterprises, universities and research institutes are being put in place. Transformation of scientific and technological advances into practical productive forces has achieved good benefits. All of these achievements need a complete legal guarantee, relevant policies, incentive mechanism, a sound market environment, further effort in promoting IP strategy, and enforcement of IPR protection from the customs, in order to further create a standardized and fair environment in trade, and to accelerate more Chinese products with independent IPRs to enter international market.

GAC asked local customs at all levels to strengthen training in customs IPR protection with focus on improvement of risk management capability. Meanwhile, GAC also inquired to pay close attention to collect and analyze the infringement information, develop specific law enforcement activity, to gradually upgrade automatic seizing technology and to improve ratio in seizing the infringement goods.

In addition, “customs at all levels must ensure the law enforcement impartial and transparent in accordance with the features in custom IPR protection”, GAC said.

GAC also demanded to outline the obstacles and problems from domestic enterprises in terms of anti-infringement goods and protecting IPR, to organize trainings in examining infringement goods, improve efficiency in IPR protection and to play a more positive role in the National IP Strategy.

What is more, GAC will deepen the cooperation in law enforcement with other countries and learn their experience in IPR protection, and by exchanging information and experience, improve infringement goods examination.

2007-11-26

2007-11-26