China vows more efforts to raise awareness of IPR protection
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Chinese intellectual property rights (IPR) authorities Wednesday vowed "all-round" efforts to help domestic companies raise awareness of IPR protection in the wake of increasing exchanges with foreign businesses and disputes arising from them.
Yin Xintian, spokesman of the State Intellectual Property Office, made the pledge when answering a question related to a lawsuit between British electric kettle manufacturer Strix and two Chinese companies, at a press conference on the amendment to the implementation rules of the Patent Law.
"The awareness includes both respecting others' IPR and protecting our own," he said.
On Monday, Strix announced it had won a lawsuit in which it accused the two companies of copying its patented technology that could automatically switch off electric kettles after the water reaches boiling point.
The Beijing Intermediate People's Court ruled that Zhejiang Jiatai Electrical Appliance Manufacturing pay 7.1 million yuan (1.04 million U.S. dollars) in damages and Leqing Fada Electrical Appliance 2 million yuan.
Strix chief executive Paul Hussey said the ruling reflected the importance China's judicial system attached to IPR protection.
He was quoted in the Financial Times as saying the company had "increasing faith in China's legal system."
Yin said the lawsuit was one of a rising number of similar cases on IPR infringement concerning foreign companies in China.
He admitted there was still a gap between China and developed countries in terms of public awareness of IPR protection, which needed "long-term efforts" to improve.
China amended the implementation rules of its Patent Law and put it into force on Monday. It was intended to be in line with the latest amendment to the Patent Law, which took effect on Oct. 1, 2009.
A major revision on the implementation rules was allowing inventions completed in China to apply for foreign patents before obtaining a domestic one, but requiring them to go through government scrutiny to decide if they should be national secrets.
It was considered a move to encourage innovation and improve international competitiveness as, previously, the Patent Law stipulated that inventions that were completed in China must apply for domestic patents first before applying for a foreign one.
Other revisions included an explicit definition of "genetic resources" and the range of applications for "compulsory licensing."
China's Patent Law has gone through three revisions since it was enacted in 1985.
