Establishing the National Guidance Center for Handling Overseas Intellectual Property Disputes was a Necessity

The State Council held a regular briefing on policies related to strengthening the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR). Zhao Gang, deputy director of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), Song Jianhua, director of the Treaty and Law Department of CNIPA, and Zhang Zhicheng, director of the Intellectual Property Protection Department of CNIPA, briefed journalists on the latest developments in IPR protection and answered their questions.

At the briefing, in response to journalists’ questions, Zhang Zhicheng said that establishing the National Guidance Center for Handling Overseas Intellectual Property Disputes was to meet the needs of Chinese enterprises. The center aimed at focusing on the existing problems in dealing with overseas intellectual property disputes and moving faster to put in place a guidance and assistance mechanism for Chinese enterprises.

He said that CNIPA and relevant departments attached great importance to IPR protection of Chinese rights owners in the efforts of Chinese enterprises to “go global". In recent years, targeted measures have mainly been taken in several areas:

First, a service platform for overseas intellectual property information was set up to provide more information. Since 2015, CNIPA has guided the creation of the platform and launched a WeChat public account to provide enterprises with basic information of China’s major trading partners, such as laws and regulations, institutions, practical guidelines, and service agencies. The platform also provided a list of more than 350 foreign-related intellectual property service agencies and about 40 experts, so as to help enterprises expand business outside China.

Second, the National Guidance Center for Handling Overseas Intellectual Property Disputes was established to enhance rights protection. This was also an important measure to deepen the reform of delegating power, improving regulation and upgrading services in the field of intellectual property rights and optimize business environment.

Third, international cooperation in IPR protection was intensified to support enterprises in gaining and safeguarding rights outside China. CNIPA has formulated and issued practical guidance for enterprises on patent applications in the United States, Japan, Brazil, India, Spain, Canada and other countries. Meanwhile, it has been in close communication and cooperation with intellectual property management departments of various countries, and has taken the lead in signing and promoting the implementation of the Joint Initiative and Cooperation Measures for IPR cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. Besides, China has signed cooperation agreements on patent examination expressway with many countries, the number of which has increased to 28.

Zhang Zhicheng pointed out that going forward, CNIPA would continue to pay attention to this issue and intensify efforts to support enterprises in gaining and protecting intellectual property rights, enhance enterprises' capability of risk prevention and control outside Chins, and effectively protect Chinese enterprises' intellectual property rights.

October 16, 2019

Source: The Paper

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