A New Batch of National IP Pilot Zones and National IP Model Zones Released
In January, the list of a new batch of National Intellectual Property Pilot Zones and National Intellectual Property Model Zones were released. 16 zones, including the Shenyang High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, were allocated as National Intellectual Property Model Zones. 19 zones, including the Tianjin Huaming High-tech Zone, were allocated as National Intellectual Property Pilot Zones.
The State Intellectual Property Office of the PRC (SIPO) started the pilot work since 2001, and 75 Intellectual Property Pilot Zones and 40 National Intellectual Property Model Zones have been confirmed till now.
SPIC Releases NuPAC Platform Containing Completely Independent IPRs
On January 5, State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) announced that China has developed a NuPAC platform with completely independent intellectual property rights. The platform has obtained the permission of the National Nuclear Safety Administration of China and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of the United States, becoming the first nuclear reactor protection system entitled with administrative permission of nuclear safety regulatory authority in both China and the United States.
1M Management and IP Professionals to be Trained for SMEs
China plans to offer training to 1 million management and intellectual property professionals in small and medium-sized businesses within the next five years, according to a new policy released by the State Intellectual Property Office and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The policy is aimed at advancing the implementation of China's IP strategy in SMEs across the country to reconfigure their industrial structure, improve their capabilities in IP creation, use, protection and management, and sharpen their innovative edge by 2020.
Intellectual Property Mediation Center in Beijing Opens
A center to mediate intellectual property disputes opened in Beijing in an effort to provide effective solutions and greater IP protection. The center, jointly operated by the China Law Society's Chinese Law Counseling Center and the Intellectual Property Law Association, will seek to improve the country's IP environment, according to Cui Xuefeng, its director. Most of the IP professionals employed by the center are senior judges who have more than 10-year experience handling IP cases. In future, the center will invite more experts, such as entrepreneurs, to share their experiences with IP disputes, he added.
IP5 PPH Pilot Program Extended for Three Years as from January 6, 2017
The European Patent Office (EPO), the Japan Patent Office (JPO), the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), the State Intellectual Property Office of the P.R.C (SIPO) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) launched the patent prosecution highway (PPH) pilot program among the IP5 on January 6, 2014. Its duration was three years, and was scheduled to expire on January 5, 2017. The five Offices now decide to extend the PPH pilot program for three years, as from January 6, 2017. Related requirements and procedures can be found on the websites of the Offices.
The Princess Weiyoung Involved with a Copyright Infringement Case
A court in Beijing has accepted a case involving an online novel writer whose allegedly plagiarized work was adapted for a popular TV soap opera.
The Chaoyang District People's Court confirmed that 11 online writers had jointly sued Zhou Jing, who writes under the pseudonym Qin Jian, for copying their works. Zhou, the author of the novel The Princess Weiyoung, previously titled The Poisonous Daughter, was accused of plagiarizing more than 200 novels. Zhou's novel was used for a high-profile TV series called The Princess Weiyoung, which began airing on Beijing TV and Dragon TV in November 2016.
Park Accused of Infringing IP Rights of Terracotta Army
A cultural park in Anhui province that has produced hundreds of full-scale replicas of Terracotta Army soldiers has been accused of infringing the intellectual property rights of the real Terracotta Army, which are owned by Emperor Qingshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum in Xi'an, Shaanxi province. However, a source at the cultural park said that the park has a different design from the museum and does not consider the replicas to be an infringement of IP rights and has no plans to close its replica display.
Top Court Bans Use of Famous Names as Trademarks
The Supreme People's Court said in the document that the names of politicians, celebrities, religious leaders and other public figures cannot be registered as trademarks by other entities.
It specified the circumstances in which a trademark could be approved, noting that a major element for consideration in any ruling should be whether a "negative effect" on public interest and social order would be caused.
To better inform courts at all levels across the country what could be regarded as causing a "negative effect", the court highlighted five cases from recent years to be used as precedents for future rulings.
Shanghai Opens IP Rights Transaction Center
An intellectual property rights (IPR) transaction center was established in Shanghai.The center will support IPR evaluation, transfer quotation, transaction authentication, settlement, trusteeship registration and financing.
Shanghai has seen a growing number of IPR applications in recent years. During the first 11 months of 2016 the city received 105,000 patent applications, a rise of 22.6 percent from a year before.The center will improve the exchange system and policies and assist monetization of intellectual property rights, offering discounted services to small and midsized enterprises.
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