Major acts in recent days (08-03-17)

IPR protection strategy

The Ministry of Culture has announced its plans for IPR protection this year.

Vice-Minister of Culture Yu Youjun said at the National Conference for Directors of Cultural Departments that the ministry will reinforce everyday supervision over cultural markets, restructure of recreational places, monitor venues and Internet cafes, and continue to advance the chain operation of audio and video products and Internet cafes.

The ministry will also accelerate the formulation of the Regulations on Artistic Works Operation and revise other management regulations on cultural markets and strengthen the cultural market's law enforcement system construction.

Yu said efforts will be made to develop a new culture industry, taking advantage of high-technology to innovate cultural production, in order to boost the scale and integrated development of traditional cultural industries of performances, audio and video products, entertainment and artistic works.

Baosteel blue book



The first blue book for intellectual property strategy complied by a Chinese enterprise was recently completed by Baosteel Group Corporation.

The blue book, titled Blue Book of Baosteel's Strategy for Intellectual Property, outlines the company's broad IPR strategy. According to the requirements of the IPR strategy, the number of Baosteel's patent applications will continue to grow at 20 percent each year, and the IPR management level will reach international leading levels.

The blue book set out a deployment strategy for strengthening patent application awareness, instructing the R&D direction for strategic products, enhancing the integration of innovative technologies and supervision of patented technology, and maximizing the effects of intangible assets.

Key lab funds

The Chinese government has decided to set up a special fund for key national laboratories and the initial 1.4 billion yuan will be in place this month, according to a Xinhua News Agency report.

Minister of Science and Technology Wan Gang said at a national conference that the fund would enable the country's 220 key national laboratories to have access to "stable financial support".

"A lack of stable financial support has become a bottleneck for the development of key state labs," he said.

"The fund will facilitate the building of a research environment that shows tolerance of scientific failures and sinks impetuous attitude," he added.

According to Vice Minister of Finance Zhang Shaochun, the initial 1.4 billion yuan covered by the central budget will be used on the labs' maintenance and scientific research in individually-picked topics. More funds will be allocated in the near future to upgrade scientific research facilities.

China has built 220 key national laboratories, employing more than 10,000 people, since 1984. They serve as key bases for the country's advanced basic research as well as science research.

Settlement reached

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) announced that its member companies reached a global settlement at the end of last month with Beijing Jeboo Interactive Science & Technology Co Ltd and two co-defendants, resolving all pending litigation between the parties.

Last September and December, five MPA member companies filed complaints in the Shanghai No 2 Intermediate Court against Jeboo and Shanghai East Cyber Cafe Tongxin Road Shop Co Ltd, and San Yi Industry and Trading Co Ltd, respectively, for the unauthorized use of 20 MPA titles, including Click, Hitch and Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest, as part of a subscription and downloading service commonly available in cyber cafes throughout China.

The "Jeboo Bar" is a comprehensive entertainment platform containing movies and television shows, sports, music, general entertainment and cartoon programing designed specifically for Internet cafes.

While the precise terms of the settlement remain confidential, the defendants confirmed the cessation of infringing activities, apologized for their prior actions, pledged forbearance against future infringement and paid a significant amount to the plaintiffs as compensation.

Lawsuit rejected

A Beijing court has rejected a French company's lawsuit against the State Administration for Industry and Commerce for not passing its application to register an "Oxford" brand.

Holdham, a company registered in France, sued the brand-assessment panel of the State Administration Industry and Commerce after the panel overruled its application to register the word "Oxford" and a brand with the image of a lion and a shield in China in May 2005.

Holdham registered the word and image in France in May 2002. It applied for registration on electric notepad and stationary in China in April 2003.

The Beijing No 1 Intermediate People's Court ruled that "Oxford" means the city of Oxford in Britain to most of the Chinese public. It could mislead consumers into thinking the products were made in Oxford, which violates Chinese brand law.

Holdham argued that Oxford is famous because of Oxford University, not Oxford the city. The brand has been registered and recognized in several other countries.

GM partnership

General Motors (GM) recently expanded its educational partnership with a leading Chinese university, establishing a technology institute in the eastern city of Shanghai.

The institute, jointly set up by GM and Shanghai Jiaotong University, will focus on research and development and technical training. GM will invest $4 million in the institute over the next five years.

"The cooperation will not only focus on car design but also other critical technologies, such as the automotive power unit," says Zhang Jie, president of Jiaotong University.

The arrangements "indicate China's significant role in the group's global technology development and research system", says Kevin Wale, chairman and managing director of GM China.

NXP chip deal

Leading global semiconductor provider NXP recently announced that German retailing giant METRO Group has selected smart labels using NXP's UCODE G2XL RFID chips without user memory for supply chain management.

The retailer will use UPM Raflatac RFID tags powered by UCODE G2XL chips on a pallet level in its operational RFID rollout of Metro Cash & Carry wholesale stores in Germany. The chips have been chosen for their breakthrough performance over the entire UHF frequency range, and will also be used in METRO Group's case-level trial in Germany.

NXP's largest manufacturing base is in Beijing, launched in 2001.

CCTV alliance



China Central Television (CCTV) will build up a media alliance including network and mobile operators in order to protect Olympic media copyrights.

A CCTV official says the newly-established media alliance consists of major central websites, a national television station cooperative organization, well-known websites, China Mobile and other telecom operators.

It will conduct the digital signal processing in the Chinese mainland and Macao by various means, and strengthen the protection of digital copyright in order to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of itself and copyright holders.