"The government is resolute about improving the intellectual
property rights (IPR) system, promoting social awareness of IPR,
and properly and effectively protecting these rights," said Vice
Premier Wu Yi in a written statement that was presented to a
high-level international workshop in Beijing Tuesday. Wu is now in
the United States for trade talks.
In the letter, she said that China is determined to nurture a
strong IPR system because it will be good for the "comprehensive,
balanced and sustainable development of the Chinese economy and
society."
To this end, she said, the nation wishes to hear the opinions of
officials and experts attending the workshop and learn from the
experiences of other countries and world organizations.
Co-hosted by the?State Intellectual Property Office, the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the
Development Research Center of the State Council, the two-day
workshop provides an opportunity for some 300 officials and experts
from around the world to share their views on the development of
IPR in China in the wake of its entry into the World Trade Organization.
China's progress in the past 20 years has won applause.
"We've seen how China's intellectual property system has made
such great progress during that time," said Geoffrey Yu, deputy
director-general of the World Intellectual Property Organization.
"You have all the right laws concerning intellectual property
rights protection, and you now have very active and efficient
government departments dealing with copyrights, patents and
trademarks."
Yu said China should not view negatively its obligation to
follow standards set by developed countries, but rather to see this
as an opportunity to benefit its industries and trade.
"The challenge for Chinese leaders is exploiting the
intellectual property system for China's own benefit," he
noted.
All levels of government throughout the country have carried out
intellectual property protection measures.
Shanghai, for example, vowed Tuesday to intensify its efforts to
create a better environment for the protection of intellectual
property.
According to the Shanghai Intellectual Property Administration,
it handled 81 patent-related cases last year, an increase of 45
percent on a yearly basis.
More than 330 foreign-related trademark infringement cases,
which fall under the supervision of the Shanghai Industrial and
Commercial Administration Bureau, were handled last year. Nearly
320 of them have been resolved.
Altogether, more than 1,040 cases involving violations of
China's Trademark Law were investigated in 2003, up 11.7 percent
year on year.
Meanwhile, the Shanghai Copyright Bureau reported 105 cases,
including 17 foreign-related matters, last year. More than 30,000
pirated products were confiscated.
Local cultural inspection departments confiscated more than 6
million illegal audio and video discs and electronic publications
last year. Also in 2003, Shanghai Customs handled some 210 IPR
infringement cases, mostly involving trademark violations. This was
a 53.6 percent increase year on year.
"It's comforting to see the remarkable progress the city
government has made in IPR protection," said Eliav Benjamin, deputy
consul general of the Consulate General of Israel in Shanghai.
(China Daily April 21, 2004)