Intellectual Property Week shows China's progress

China Intellectual Property Week 2016, which ran from April 20 to 26, held a range of activities to help increase the public's IP awareness and celebrate the 16th World IP Day, the organizers said.

Shen Changyu, commissioner of the State Intellectual Property Office, said in a video address at the launching ceremony that the IP Week event was an important opportunity to "showcase China's IP achievements and create a good cultural environment for IP".

SIPO held an online interview on international IP cooperation on Monday; the Ministry of Justice organized a nationwide publicity campaign on IP-related laws during the course of the week; the National Copyright Administration hosted a conference on China's internet IP protection on Tuesday.

A salon introducing Australia's patent system was held on April 20 by the national alliance for IP rights analysis and evaluation agencies. Four experts invited by China Intellectual Property News gave lectures that covered both basic knowledge of the system and case studies.

Anthony Lee, partner of Madderns law firm, introduced patent filing strategies and ways in which patents are invalidated in Australia. He also mentioned recent developments with regard to patentable subject matter in Australia, including the fact that isolated nucleic acids were found to have no patentability following a decision of the Australian High Court.

The theme of this year's World IP Day, which falls on April 26 every year, is "Digital Creativity: Culture Reimagined". SIPO Commissioner Shen said IP in the fields of digital information and cultural creativity is also an important consideration to ensure that China becomes a more influential IP nation.

The country will continue to find effective methods to promote IP development in these fields, Shen said.

Francis Gurry, director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization, said China is home to "vibrant, extremely important and rapidly growing" creative industries, such as the film sector where the country has seen "spectacular growth".

Gurry said that World IP Day is proposed by China and Algeria some 15 years ago. China's engagement in helping originate the day symbolizes its commitment to IP as a whole, he said.

China is now the third largest filer of international patent applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty and the sixth largest filer of international trademark applications under the Madrid system, according to Gurry.

China filed nearly 30,000 international patent applications under PCT in 2015, a 16.8-percent rise from the previous year.

The Chinese government has focused more on IP to help innovation-driven development, according to Shen. The 2016 Government Work Report and the national guideline for the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) both called for better IP protection and use as well as efforts to make China a more influential IP nation.

SIPO will prioritize IP protection and use, two important drivers for IP development, during the 13th Five-Year Plan to better stimulate and protect innovation, Shen said.

Activities celebrate weeklong festival

Local authorities across China have, since 2009, organized a series of activities in late April - collectively known as IP Week - to celebrate World IP Day on April 26. This year's activities include the presentation of reports, publicity campaigns, forums, training programs, exhibitions and trade fairs.

Yantai, Shandong province

IP experts were invited to give training to technicians, research teams and executives at local companies. Law enforcement officials from the city's intellectual property office and IP service call center provided IP consultation services and handled complaints at the Yantai Fishing, Boat & Outdoor Show from April 16 to 18.

Huzhou, Zhejiang province

On April 21, the Intermediate People's Court of Huzhou held an open hearing of a trademark case involving Anji White Tea, a famous local specialty brand. At the hearing, the court invited submissions from the public and proceedings were broadcast live online.

Zhuzhou, Hunan province

The city's technology and IP authority held an awards ceremony for Zhuzhou's 2015 Industrial Design Contest on April 21. More than 20 companies, organizations and individuals won awards at the ceremony. A seminar was held concurrently, that attracted delegates from the government, local companies and IP service agencies.

Nantong, Jiangsu province

Multiple member authorities of the city's IP joint conference organized a city center publicity campaign during which free consultations were offered and leaflets handed out. Law enforcement officials also held IP inspections at several major markets in the city.

Harbin, Heilongjiang province

A series of themed IP promotional activities were launched on April 23 at the Harbin Institute of Technology. The city's intellectual property office invited experts from Beijing to give weeklong training programs about innovation, entrepreneurship and patent systems to local college students.

Students from Anhui Vocational & Technical College of Industry & Trade sign their names on a banner that says "Fight against piracy and protect intellectual property rights" at an activity during IP Week. Photos Provided To China Daily