Major acts in recent days (07-12-18)

Patent Cooperation Treaty

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and China's State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) have jointly held an International Conference on the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) in Beijing.

Deputy Director-General of WIPO Francis Gurry and Commissioner of SIPO Tian Lipu attended the seminar, which also attracted representatives from Mongolia, North Korea, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Bahrain, Tunisia, Tanzania, Cameroon and Mozambique.

Participants discussed the current status and future development of the PCT.

The conference heard a number of topics that most concerned companies, such as how to better satisfy applicants' needs and corporate experience in using the PCT system.

Multinational forum

Beijing Intellectual Property Office (BIPO) recently held a conference with multinational companies based in the city to further enhance intellectual property protection efforts.

More than 30 organizations and enterprises, including the US Embassy in China, the Delegation of the European Commission to China, foreign chambers of commerce, Microsoft and Samsung attended the forum.

Wang Lijun, an official with BIPO, said the Beijing Municipal Government has achieved a great deal, but "we still have many obstacles to overcome and we need continuing collaboration with foreign firms".

Sino-Japanese IP dialog

The first China and Japan High-level Economic Dialog was held recently with both nations pledging to continue to strengthen intellectual property cooperation and negotiation.

The two sides agreed to regularly send official and private delegations to increase cooperation on the modification of IP regulations and cultivating talent in the field.

They will also enhance enforcement, provide information about IP infringements, and promote private company exchanges and cooperation under the guidance of central administrations.

China and Japan will also participate in the East Asia Forum on protection of new plant varieties.

Traditional medicine efforts

Chinese vice-premier Wu Yi called for enhanced efforts to drive the development of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) at a recent international conference.

The International Traditional Chinese Medicine Conference for Cooperation in Science and Technology, jointly hosted by several Chinese government bodies and the World Health Organization, opened in Beijing last month.

Ongoing scientific and technological advances provide powerful intellectual and technical support for traditional Chinese medicine, Wu said.

She proposed stronger efforts to promote the development of TCM through innovation of inherited techniques, theoretical studies, intellectual property protection and training expertise.

Participants of the conference endorsed the Beijing Declaration, which is designed to promote international technical cooperation in TCM.