1. Beijing

SIPO to analyze more sectors

The State Intellectual Property Office will expand its annual patent analysis to cover 12 new sectors this year, said Ge Shu, a senior official of SIPO on Monday. Part of a non-profit program that SIPO initiated in 2010 to popularize patent analysis across the country, the topics added this year include industrial robots, satellite positioning and navigation, LED lighting, and the Internet of Things. The addition will expand the scope of the analysis to cover 38 sectors in total. The total number of categories will be increased to 50 by 2015. To date, 16 reports on different industries have been published. The report series aims to provide a model for industrial patent analysis and help companies improve their IP management, Ge said.

Copyright campaign launched

The National Copyright Administration launched the nationwide Green Bookmark Campaign 2013 on April 1 in an effort to increase copyright awareness. During the campaign, which lasts until World Intellectual Property Day on April 26, green bookmarks will be distributed in more than 2,000 schools, cinemas, theaters, bookstores and residential communities across China. Pirated publications seized last year will also be destroyed in the period. The annual event was initiated in 2009.

xinhuanet.com

New plant varieties approved

China had received more than 1,000 applications to register new plant varieties by the end of 2012 and more than half were authorized, according to the State Forestry Administration, which attributes the trend to the success of intellectual property strategies implemented in 2011. In the previous year, the country's agricultural and forest administrations received 122 Chinese applications as well as 26 from overseas that enabled the total number of foreign new plant varieties applications to reach 223.

China Intellectual Property News

2. Hubei

Wuhan to overhaul IP laws

Wuhan Intellectual Property Office recently decided to draft the city's first comprehensive IP legislation, which is expected to be finished in 2014. According to a statement from the office, the new law is intended to further enhance the city's capabilities in terms of innovation, IP management and protection, and it will also help the office achieve its goals for 2015. According to its plan, the office hopes to increase its patent ownership rate to 100 patents per 10,000 Wuhan residents by 2015 and establish a batch of internationally renowned corporate brands in the city.

Changjiang Daily

3. Sichuan

Alcohol regulations revised

The provincial government of Sichuan recently began to revise regulations on the alcoholic beverage industry, one of the province's most competitive sectors. Government officials said the revision will strengthen supervision and enhance the intellectual property protection with respect to local alcoholic products to improve the market order. Officials from provincial departments of quality supervision and commerce as well as alcohol-related sectors will make proposals for the revision. The draft will be submitted to the standing committee of the provincial people's congress in September.

Sichuan Daily

4. Fujian

Police bust software pirates

The police of Fuzhou city recently solved a large-scale piracy case involving illegal software worth more than 280 million yuan ($45.2 million) in potential retail value. The four suspects in the case have been decoding many types of world-renowned industrial control software since 2007. They made pirated copies in Fuzhou and sold them nationwide at prices that ranged from 1,000 to 2,000 yuan. The genuine software sells for as high as 100,000 yuan. The suspects earned illegal income totaling around 800,000 yuan.

fjsen.com

5. Hong Kong

Intellectual property work group meets

On April 2, the Working Group on Intellectual Property Trading held its first meeting since it was established earlier this year. "IP has become increasingly important in a knowledge-based economy to drive innovation and growth," said Gregory So, head of the working group. "We would tap the wisdom of working group members from various sectors, with a goal of realizing Hong Kong's potential to develop into an IP trading hub." Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying announced the establishment of the working group in his 2013 Policy Address.

info.gov.hk

(China Daily 04/10/2013 page17)