Major acts in recent days (08-11-24)

Grass-roots IP court

The People's Court of Yuzhong District of Chongqing municipality has been appointed as the first grass-root court for IP cases in western China and has established an IP tribunal.

The court can accept the IP civil cases at the first instance, valued at less than 3 million yuan, excluding cases concerning patents, new varieties of plants and layout-designs of integrated circuits.

In China most IP cases are handled by the Intermediate People's Court or courts above the level. Grass-root courts normally do not have the qualification to try IP cases.

Special fund for Qingdao

Qingdao of Shandong province recently issued a special fund to promote the development of cultural industry. The fund will mainly be used to support cultural products that have independent IPR, market potential and competitive advantages. Projects that have IP disputes and are punished by law enforcement departments in the past two years cannot receive support from the fund.

IPR mayors' seminar

The First Seminar on Intellectual Property and City Development for Mayors took place recently in Xiamen, Fujian province. The seminar was organized by the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) and attended by 28 mayors of national IPR model cities. It is the first such seminar for city mayors since SIPO launched the national IPR pilot and model work progam in 1999.

The mayors and experts spoke about the relationship between IPR development and city development.

SIPO Commissioner Tian Lipu said that a large number of companies, technologies and talents are gathered in cities, so reinforcing IPR work is needed for building innovation-oriented cities.

Shanghai IP agreement inked

The Shanghai Silicon Intellectual Property Exchange (SSIPEX) recently signed an agreement with three industry organizations to provide patent consulting and applications services for high tech firms, Shanghai Daily reports. Through the SSIPEX, members of the Shanghai Zhangjiang Incubator Management Center, Shanghai Integrated Circuit Industry Association and Shanghai Optoelectronics Trade Association can get advice and help on IP issues.

New IPR measures

If IPR infringement causes mental injury and serious consequences, the victim could receive mental damage compensation, according to the new measures of IPR judicial protection introduced by Zhejiang Provincial Higher People's Court.

The account books showing economic losses due to IPR infringement offered by the IPR holders can be used for calculating the damage compensation. The materials that are provided by taxation and commerce departments and say the infringer's illegal profits may also be used.

Patent Week in Liaoning

The recent 2008 China Liaoning Patent Week featured 3,000 patents were exhibited online and 262 were displayed on site, among which 33 were promoted with priority. Meanwhile, the National Patent Technology (Shenyang) Exhibition and Trade Center and Beijing East Linden Science & Technology Corporation Ltd signed the Patent Strategy Cooperation Agreement and opened a patent information database of medicine and electronics information. The database offers free online searches.

Technology standards

Progress on the "Key Technology Standard Promotion Project" of the National Key Technology R&D Program of the 11th Five-Year Plan means that by 2010 50 standards with independent intellectual property rights will be completed, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology.

By 2010, 380 items for national standards will be formulated and 30 to 40 items for international standards that have great influence on industrial development will be framed as well, the ministry says.

New HD TV and movie site



A new website, www.voole.com, was recently launched to offer a digital entertainment site offering a large number of copyrighted high-definition TV and movie entertainment programs for Chinese mainland Internet users.

The website was launched by Beijing Union Voole Technology Co Ltd., providing video-on-demand for a small viewing fee. The company also initiated the China Internet Video Anti-Piracy Association at the launching ceremony.

The company aims to promote the healthy development of online entertaiment in China by cooperating with video production and distribution institutes in China and overseas.

IP protection symposium

The Symposium on Intellectual Property Protection of Foreign-Invested Enterprises in China was recently held in Chongqing.

The symposium was sponsored by the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) and organized by Chongqing Municipal Committee of Science and Technology as well as the local IP office.

More than 200 people from the government departments, industry associations, local IP offices and foreign companies participated.

IPR inspection nabs eight

The Tianjin Intellectual Property Office, Service Center for Intellectual Property Protection and the local Public Security Bureau recently inspected more than 10,000 commodities and found eight cases of suspected of patent violations.

During the inspection, law enforcers checked the supermarkets and drugstores, and filed records for commodities with patent mark. The eight cases have been filed for investigation.

Shanghai IP online chat

Officials from the Shanghai Municipal IP Office recently exchanged views with netizens.

Prior to the Second China (Shanghai) Patent Technology Exhibition and Trade Week on November 18, the online chat received 205 questions, nearly 40 of which were answered in the one-hour meeting.