Editor's note: China's intellectual property rights protection (IPR) system is improving and the country has made further efforts to protect IPR in 2010.
The government launched a six-month campaign to fight piracy in December this year. Related industries, companies and more consumers in China are also taking action against piracy to protect software rights.
China is the fifth in the world in terms of number of international patent applications. The nation's effort in IPR protection is also recognized by the World Intellectual Property Organization.
China moves to take down copyright pirates
The country is set to fight copyright infringement with top-down and cross-ministry efforts, officials said in December. The State Council, China's Cabinet, has launched a special campaign, which will last until next March.
The State Council, China's Cabinet, has launched a special campaign, which will last until March, to "investigate and deal with a batch of major cases of both copyright infringement and counterfeiting that have attracted attention both at home and abroad, and to expose the companies who violate copyright laws and regulations, in order to create strong pressure against illegal behavior," said Vice-Minister of Commerce Jiang Zengwei at a press conference.Full Story
China vows to boost IPR protection
China vowed to make a greater effort to protect intellectual property rights (IPR) and sought enhanced cooperation with the United States to this end.
The pledge came out of a dialogue on IPR protection and enforcement between China and the United States in Beijing. Full Story
Wen urges fight against IPR infringement
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao urged authorities to step up their fight against intellectual property rights (IPR) infringements.
When addressing a national meeting on IPR protection, Wen said authorities should target root causes of IPR violations, strengthen IPR protection especially with regard to Internet use. Full Story
China sets 10-year plan to boost patent industry
The Chinese government has created numerous policies to encourage development of the country's patent industry, hoping to achieve "a series of breakthroughs in the patent field" in the next decade. Full Story
China to fight unlawful copying of famous brands
China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS) has ordered a fresh crackdown on the infringement of well-known foreign and domestic brands' intellectual property rights (IPRs). Full Story
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TV series meet new reality in copyright crackdown
On Nov 12, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) announced a ban on trading and supplying unauthorized foreign TV series.
Youku, Tudou, Ku6, Xunlei and other popular domestic video websites have taken moves in response.
Youku signed agreements with three major South Korean TV stations - MBC, KBS and SBS - but made little progress on cooperation with American TV producers due to "higher royalty payments and strict content censorship (in China)", according to a video website executive. Full Story
Battle over rights to iPhone patents heats up
A Shanghai company filed a lawsuit in May against the Beijing-based Patent Reexamination Board (PRB) of the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) over the patent authority's decision to validate the patent of the iPhone exterior design.
Shanghai Luoen Tech-info Ltd claimed the exterior design of the iPhone, a popular product of Apple Inc, is too similar to that of the DMB MP3 player created by LG and another two handset products (818 and 828+) created by Dopod, all of which had already got valid patents before Apple made the patent application. Full Story
HTC Corp said in May it filed a patent infringement case against Apple Inc and asked the US International Trade Commission to ban US sales of iPhones, iPads and iPods.
The case is a response to a patent infringement lawsuit that Apple filed in March against smaller rival HTC, a maker of phones based on Google Inc's Android software, which has gained a lot of ground on Apple's popular iPhone. Full Story
Bayer execs calm about compulsory licensing clauses
Clauses in the latest revision of China's patent law permitting compulsory licensing of patented medicines has triggered concern among some companies, but pharmaceutical and chemical giant Bayer is remaining calm. Full Story
More Chinese PC consumers do not trust pirated software: Survey
Nearly 70 percent of consumers in China feel that the use of pirated software is not as safe as genuine software, according to a Microsoft report on consumer attitudes towards pirated programs. Full Story
Examiners go on site for company consultation
The State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) began stationing examiners at company offices in the Zhongguancun area in Beijing in late August to help with documentation for patent applications. Full Story
High-tech patent fuels better car performance
With a vast number of advanced vehicles on the road and stricter controls on emissions in China, demand for better quality gasoline has skyrocketed. Full Story
Copyright expo to browse digital music debate
China International Digital Music Festival will be held as part of the third China International Copyright Expo on November 20.
The event is expected to help the digital music market become more fair and healthy, Li Heng, president of the Beijing International Copyright Trade Center, said at a news conference last week.Promoting fairness in the digital music market and enhancing copyright awareness among users will help the industry achieve sound development, said Li. Full Story
China heads for top spot in patent application
Patent experts are not surprised that China is poised to overtake the United States and Japan as the country with the most patent applications next year - a quarter of a century after the country set up its patents system.
A report by Thompson Reuters said China's patent filings grew by 26.1 percent a year between 2003 and last year, while growth in the US was 5.5 percent, South Korea 4.8 percent and Japan 1 percent. Full Story
Intellectual property rights protection improving in China
China's intellectual property rights protection system is improving thanks to a cooperative project between China and the European Union, senior officials said. Full Story
Patent soar during 30 years of WIPO membership
June 3 marked the 30th anniversary of China's membership in the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Since that day three decades ago, when China became the 90th member of WIPO, the country's State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) has grown into the world's fifth-most prolific source of international Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) patents. Full Story
China's patent applications soar amid innovation drive
China's international patent applications soared to 8,000 cases last year -- the fifth most in the world -- as the country strives to promote independent industrial and technological innovation.
Applications totalled 103 in 1994, when the nation approved the Patent Cooperation Treaty of 1970 designed to protect inventions with a unified patent application procedures. Full Story
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Francis Gurry, director-general of the World Intellectual Property Organization. |
China's IPR protection is appreciated
China is helping lead the charge in the fight to protect intellectual property rights, receiving the world's fifth largest number of international patent applications, Francis Gurry, director-general of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), said.
"How can you finance your culture in this digital and Internet era?" he asked. "We all want music, movies and literature, but they are not free. So copyright has provided a mechanism for financing culture. To solve these problems, we need the leadership of China." Full Story
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Li Yong, general manager of China Patent Agent (CPA) HK Ltd. |
Expert: IP research often missing in overseas prep
"When inking a deal, businesspeople tend to be concerned about price and payment terms - yet it also pays to give attention to intellectual property investigation.
Especially corporate decision makers should learn about would-be intellectual property risks they may encounter in the export or investment destination." Full Story
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David Liewelyn, legal expert on IPR issues and deputy chairman of the Intellectual Property Academy of Singapore. |
IPR needs a holistic approach
"There still are many consumers who don't care about intellectual property while buying products. Hence, educating the people about the importance of IPR is of utmost importance. Only if the IPR violations are curbed and relevant laws enforced properly can the domestic market be considered mature." Full Story
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