'China an international leader in IP protection'

WIPO head lauds country's efforts in improving system and regulations

China has made "extraordinary" achievements in intellectual property protection that can inspire countries in terms of mechanism building and IP application while developing innovation, science and technology, said a senior leader with the World Intellectual Property Organization.

"China's journey in intellectual property protection is extraordinary and it's now an international leader," said Francis Gurry, director general of WIPO. He made the remarks when attending the High-Level Forum on China IP in Beijing in late April.

"There is a lot of experience that can be shared with other countries, because China has managed to do this in a historically short period of time; 30 or maximum 40 years," he told the media.

Addressing the annual forum on April 24, Gurry said China has progressed in IP protection by reforming the IP protection system, revising its laws and rules on patents and trademarks, and made efforts to seek and forge multilateral cooperation in IP protection.

His remarks came a day after the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body, passed an amendment to the Trademark Law.

The amendment, which is scheduled to take effect on Nov 1, sets the compensation for malicious infringement of trademarks at up to five times the amount of actual losses. The previous law called for triple the amount.

It also raised the upper limit on statutory damages from 3 million yuan to 5 million yuan ($444,130-$738,540).

Gurry reiterated the importance of the Chinese government's role in upgrading the system. They have kept it in line with international standards, where the awareness of enterprises - from factory production to robotics automation - and the public has been greatly improved.

This year's high-level forum, which associated IP protection with quality development, was a part of China's leading IP campaign. The annual weeklong event takes place nationwide and usually centers around World IP Day, which falls on April 26.

At the forum, Shen Changyu, head of the China National Intellectual Property Administration, said the country is mapping out a strategy to highlight the importance of IP protection.

The strategy will identify the mission, path and measures regarding IP protection in the future, so that China can intensify the move, Shen said.

As a result, stronger IP protection can better satisfy China's economic and social development, which has been on the fast track to high-quality growth, he added.

Shen also noted that China will increase its efforts to protect IP and considers related rights as a cornerstone of economic development, innovation and international trade.

"China is speeding up the transformation from industrialization to informatization," Shen said. "Intangible assets, such as patents, trademarks, copyrights, business secrets and software, are playing an increasingly important role, so IP protection has become more significant."

According to official figures, the number of invention patents owned by individuals and organizations on the Chinese mainland had reached 1.6 million by the end of 2018, an increase of 18.1 percent over the previous year.

By the end of 2018, valid trademarks registered by Chinese mainland entities reached 18.05 million, up 32.8 percent year-on-year.

Throughout 2018, the administration registered copyrights for 2.35 million works and 1.1 million pieces of computer software, up 17 percent and 48 percent, respectively.

chenhong@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 05/09/2019 page17)