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IN BRIEF (Page 9)
(China Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-24 07:20

Strengthening IPR

Five Chinese ministries, including the National Development and Reform
Commission (NDRC), the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Finance, the
State Administration of Industry and Commerce and the Chinese Banking
Regulatory Commission, said they would launch policies to strength small
and medium enterprises' intellectual property protection.

Ou Xinqian, the NDRC' vice-minister, said at the opening of China
International Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Fair in Guangzhou that
SMEs should be encouraged to innovate, since they have difficulties
protecting their intellectual properties.

The fair organizers also opened an intellectual property rights
protection booth, explaining China's policies and progress in the area.

Famous brands

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and
Quarantine released the 2007 list of famous brands in China, which
included 856 brands in 162 categories.

BSD down clothes, CIMC container and QC gimbals became three Chinese
world famous brands.

So far, almost 2,000 Chinese famous brands and 10 Chinese world famous
brands have been named.

New partners

China Intellectual Property Training Center became an international
partner with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
Worldwide Academy, the website of the State Intellectual Property Office
(SIPO) said on September 13.

In July, the Chinese center helped WIPO hold a senior-level training
session for IP policymakers from more than 20 countries and regions. The
program will be held annually in the future.

Mpazi Sinjela, director of World Intellectual Property Organization
Worldwide Academy, visited "12312", a hotline for Intellectual Property
Protection in Tianjin on September 11 and praised the positive efforts
done by the Chinese government in intellectual property protection.

The hotline is established as a nationwide platform with 50 call centers
to accept complaints and provide consultation in intellectual property,
and serve as a way to educate and promote awareness about intellectual
property protection for both individuals and companies.

Pharma forum

The 2007 China Pharmaceuticals Intellectual Property Forum, initiated by
State Food and Drug Administration, will be held in Beijing on October
23-24.

The forum will focus on improving the awareness of pharmaceutical
intellectual property protection and encouraging innovation in the field.
Delegations from governments, enterprises, research organizations and
related academia will get together, discuss effective ways of
strengthening intellectual property protection and reinforcing
international cooperation under the theme "Strengthening the
Pharmaceutical intellectual property protection and enhancing the ability
of pharmaceutical innovation".

Cautionary tale

Ang Lee's triumph in Venice with Lust, Caution, based on Zhang Ailing's
novel of the same name, has again drawn public attention.

Twelve publishers on the Chinese mainland that have published Zhang's
books rejected a Taiwanese company's 10 million yuan compensation request
for illegally publishing Zhang's book. The publishers argued that Zhang's
will, which granted the Taiwan company's eternal and infinite dealership
of all Zhang's books' copyright, has been announced by Zhang herself as
invalid.

Last June, Beijing No 1 Intermediary People's Court ruled the Economic
Daily Publishing Company to pay 400,000 yuan for illegal copyright use
but since the 12 publisher's recent action the Economic Daily Publishing
Company decided to appeal.

Position paper

The European Union Chamber of Commerce (EUCC) in China issued a 2007
European Business in China Position Paper in China. Intellectual Property
Protection is one of the paper's hottest topics.

The position paper, the seventh of its kind, observed that the
legislation process in China has been improved in terms of transparency
and the ever-growing scale of consultations. The EUCC also praised the
open attitude from the State Intellectual Property Office on listening to
voices from the chamber on the revised Patent Law in its third round of
discussions.

However, the EUCC also complained about issues like counterfeits and
execution.

Online banking

Five Chinese banks, including the top four in the country, have
registered almost 200 different domain names, as they spell out ambitious
plans to develop online banking services, according to a report by the
China News Agency on September 13.

The banks did not only register English domain names, but also Chinese
domain names, so that it is easier for customers to recognize the
websites. They also registered websites with names of their services,
such as credit cards.

Using Chinese domain names also helps Chinese banks fend off online
fishing from western hackers, who do not recognize Chinese characters.

Chinese banks face intense competition from foreign rivals, which are
also expanding their territories. Online banking is regarded as a growth
engine and a tool to defend their positions in the market.

Olympic flowers

Specialty Chinese flowers from Yunnan Province will likely be supplied to
the coming Olympic Games in August in Beijing, the website of SIPO said
on September 13.

The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Landscape and Forestry and Yunnan flower
enterprises held meetings during 2007 Kunming International Flower
Exhibition from September 6 to 9 to discuss the introducing flowers from
Yunnan Province to Beijing, which will be used at the medal ceremonies.

The standard for flowers used in the Olympics is strict. The member of
the Beijing Olympic Committee in charge of landscape-related issues said
that the flowers from Yunnan are a good choice for the Beijing Olympics.

The preparation for the Beijing Olympics had become a hot topic at this
year's exhibition. Yunnan is the most famous flower plantation base in
China with many products exported to Japan, South Korea, and Southeast
Asian nations.

Jiangsu English site

Jiangsu provincial government launched an English website,
jiangsu.ipr.gov.cn, for intellectual property protection on September 13
in Nanjing, which aims to help foreign investors protect their rights.

Last June, the province launched an intellectual property hotline and a
Chinese website. Since then, the province received 1,946 calls and 47
complaints.

Editor's note: The IPR Special is sponsored by the State Intellectual
Property Office and published by China Business Weekly. To contact the
Intellectual Property Office, the IPR Special hotlines are 8610-64995167
or 8610-64995826, and the e-mail address is ipr@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 09/24/2007 page9)

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