Top 2010 events, people in intellectual property

China's 20 most important intellectual property (IP) protection cases and events in 2010 were announced in Beijing on Sept 19 along with a list of the field's 10 most influential figures.

It was the first time the central government's three IP watchdogs - the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO), the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) and the National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC) - jointly made selections, an effort "showing the Chinese government's resolve to fight IP infringements", Huang Qing, director of SIPO's protection and coordination department, said at a press conference to announce the findings.

The results show China has made "marked progress" since the national IP strategy was unveiled in 2008, said Liu Yicheng, deputy secretary-general of the Copyright Society of China.