China Strengthens Efforts on Crackdown Patent Infringement and Counterfeiting

Recently, SIPO released a group of new data: in the first half of 2015, the total number of national patent administrative law enforcement cases reached to 10,190, with an increase of 107.7%. Among them, 5,437 were patent disputes (including 5,332 patent infringement cases), with an increase of 167.6%; 4,753 patent counterfeit cases were investigated, with an increase of 65.4%. It is worth mentioning that, compared with last year, the structure of the patent administrative law enforcement cases changed greatly. By the end of 2014, the proportion of patent disputes and counterfeiting patent cases was about 0.51: 1, while in the first half of this year, this figure increased to 1.14: 1, which means the amount of patent disputes exceeds that of counterfeit patent cases for the first time. In fact, this reflects that the national IP system strengthens the crackdown of patent infringement and counterfeiting investigators to further enhance the ability of IP case investigations.

According to an official of Patent Management Department of SIPO, during the first half of this year, the national IP system thoroughly implement the new requirements of strengthening the IP protection by the central government, considering IP law enforcement as the important part of IP power construction and   promoting the working mechanisms such as network law enforcement, fast rights safeguarding, supervision, performance assessment, law enforcement cooperation and some special action to accelerate the pace of law enforcement capacity.

Data shows that, in the first half of this year, patent administrative case investigations generally strengthened, and the patent law enforcement cases grew in 21 provinces (autonomous regions or municipalities), and in 12 of which over 100% growth rate of patent administrative case investigations appeared, and the amount of patent administrative case investigations were over 100 in five provinces (municipalities), respectively, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shandong, Chongqing. As regards the regional distribution of patent administrative law enforcement cases Eastern China has a total of 5,892, accounting for 57.8% of the whole nation, followed by South China and Central China, respectively 1,140 and 1,100. The amount of patent law enforcement cases keep a substantially positive correlation with the amount of patent applications and granted patents.

According to the official, SIPO will strengthen the guidance to law enforcement from all levels and further enhance the law enforcement in a regulatory, scientific and professional way, in order to meet the needs of patentees and innovators as well as to meet the people's material and cultural needs, and promote long-term healthy development of China's economy. 

(Source: China IP News)