On January 4 the Ministry of Commerce announced that by the end of August 2006 all together 50 service centers intellectual property protection had been established and put into trial operation. 　

 

In order to intensify IP protection, the State Council's Action Outlines for Protection of Intellectual Property (2006-2007) requires that a general intellectual property complaint and report service center should be set up in 50 cities throughout the country. In consultation with 8 government agencies including the Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Culture, General Administration of Customs, General State Administration for Industry and Commerce, National Copyright Administration, State Food and Drug Administration, State Office of Intellectual Property, the SIPO Work Team Office issued a document, having preliminarily set up the work mechanism of the "center". By the end of August 2006, the 50 service centers were completed and put into trial operation. A hot line "12312" and "china ip protection website" (www.ipr.gov.cn) were open to the public.

 

It is learned that the 50 "centers" are located in 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) and the Xijiang Production and Construction Corps, among them a municipal "center" is set up in the 13 key areas including the 5 municipalities under separate state plan, Wenzhou, Shantou and Yiwu where economies are better developed with a larger volume of IP and more concentration of foreign-invested enterprises.

 

By the end of November 2006, the 50 "centers" had received reports and complaints totaling 1,014, transferred 657 of them to the law-enforcement departments and closed 286 cases by themselves. The law-enforcement departments have investigated and settled a number of major cases based on the clues provided by these centers.

 

2007-01-11

2007-01-11