Source: People's Daily

"China's IPR protection system was established and developed as a result of China's reform and opening-up," said Zhang Zhicheng, Director General of Protection and Coordination Department of the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO). As of now, China has established an IPR system covering all fields conforming to international norms and rules, and acceded to the world's major international IP treaties. China has become a powerful country with regard to IP, serving as a defender, participant and builder of international IP rules.

China sees remarkable achievements in implementing the policy of stringent IPR protection 

For years China has made unremitting efforts to establish a world-class business climate, serving all innovators of all countries. In particular, since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China has attached greater importance to strengthening IP protection, making it a basic guarantee and important support for China's endeavor to implement innovation-driven strategy and build China into an innovative country. China has seen rapid progress in IPR undertaking by thoroughly implementing national IP strategy, speeding up the construction of IP powerhouse and releasing the 13th Five-Year Plan for National IP Protection and utilization. 

According to Zhang, the number of invention patent filings in China reached 1.382 million in 2017, up 14.2 percent from 2016, pacing the world for seven consecutive years. China received 5.748 million trademark applications in 2017, ranking the first globally for a more impressive 16 years in a row. 

China has been consistently reinforcing IP administrative enforcement. In the past five years, 192,000 cases of patent infringement and counterfeiting were investigated and punished in China, as well as 173,000 cases of trademark infringement and counterfeiting. IP Judicial protection has also been strengthened with establishment of specialized IP courts in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou and IP tribunals within courts peppered around the country. Sanctions were toughened against infringers to protect the legal interests of right holders.  A 2017 World Bank report revealed that China has moved up 18 places in the global ranking of ease of doing business in the past three years. It shows that China's business environment keeps improving.

According to a survey by SIPO, overall satisfaction with IP protection reached 76.69 percent points in 2017 from 63.69 percentage points in 2012. China's IPR protection is widely recognized. So far, China is working hard to improve the upper limit of legal compensation, add punitive compensation system, enhance administrative enforcement in key areas and actively conduct arbitration and mediation affairs. 

Enhancing bilateral and multilateral IPR cooperation with other countries and regions

With the increasing economic globalization, world-wide innovative cooperation and problems such as IPR protection, commercialization and assignment have become more complicated. All countries face the common problems including IPR rights confirmation, technology diffusion, benefits and interests sharing, infringement and piracy. 

"In order to address and improve these problems, we cannot rely on trade protectionism and deviate from the ultimate purpose of IPR system and even use IPR as a tool to contain the development of other countries," Zhang noted that efforts should be made to reinforce IPR protection, maintain a healthy and well-organized market order and promote fair competition through closer international cooperation. It is the common responsibility of all members of international community in particular major countries such as China and the United States to build IPR system into a bridge for innovation and cooperation among all countries and establish dynamic coordinative and cooperative system on the basis of common interests.  (To be continued)