Source: China IP News

Recently, China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) announced the launching of Operation Blue Sky, a two-year-long campaign targeting illegal acts of the patent attorney profession, such as doing business without a license, representing abnormal patent applications, registering qualification for work without actual work, and soliciting in underhanded ways. Patent firms will be randomly checked by randomly dispatched enforcement officers and results of the checks will be released on a single platform. Those suspected of criminal acts will be transferred to the police.

Operation Blue Sky is one of the main programs on strengthening and improving regulations in process and afterwards and promoting favorable developments in the patent attorney profession. In this April, CNIPA issued the Working Plan for Strengthening Patent Attorney Regulation, highlighting key tasks of the Operation Blue Sky. According to the Plan, Intellectual Property Utilization and Promotion Department of CNIPA and local intellectual property offices across the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities will take on relevant tasks for the campaign.

The department has launched oriented specific guidance for the better implementation of Operation Blue Sky. Local intellectual property offices will perform patent attorney regulation duties by Patent Attorney Regulation and Patent Attorney Management Measures, and refine the plan based on fact.

As required by Operation Blue Sky, local intellectual property offices will establish work communication mechanism with local market regulation law enforcement teams, enforce coordination with local government departments, and deepen comprehensive administration. Meanwhile, they will release main information of the campaign through local mainstream media and government websites, and highlight complaining hotline continuously at front page of official websites.

Operation Blue Sky will be promoted with 'double random, one release' regulation and regular regulation. Local intellectual property offices will report Operation Blue Sky campaign information timely, strengthen work communication, discuss typical cases, and summarize advanced experience and practice, to improve handling ability.

With deep implementation of Operation Blue Sky, CNIPA will further strive to establish diverse regulation system, beef up regulation, and improve efficiency, to prevent patent attorney violations, foster business environment with good faith, fair competition and the survival of the fittest and guide patent attorney to the track of favorable and fast development.