AFD China Recommended by ASIA IP for Outstanding Patent Services

The reputable intellectual property magazine Asia IP announced the result of its annual patent survey. Because of its outstanding performance in "Patent Prosecution" and "Patent Contentious", AFD China was recognized as one of the best patent firms in the survey.

The result was also published in the monthly issue of Asia IP magazine and the 2020 Asia IP Profiles handbook.

Our President Ms. Xia Zheng Selected as One of the Leading Intellectual Property Service Talents in Beijing

In November 2020, the Capital Intellectual Property Service Association announced the list of Beijing's leading intellectual property service talents. Our president Ms. Xia Zheng was honored to be one among them.

The selection evaluated each candidate's practicing ability from multiple dimensions, such as the breadth of technical fields, professionalism, team building and management abilities, client satisfaction, honors and awards, and publications, etc, which in combination fully reflected the capability level that a leading talent should presents.

China Passes Law Amendment to Strengthen Copyright Protection

An amendment to the copyright law to strengthen copyright protection was passed by China's top legislature on November 11 after a third deliberation.

The amendment, adopted after a vote at the end of the 23rd standing committee session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), is expected to strengthen the protection of the copyright holders, raising the ceiling of statutory damages from 500,000 yuan (around 75,500 U.S. dollars) to 5 million yuan.

It also created a compensation floor of 500 yuan for violators of the copyright law.

It is widely believed that the revisions, with the introduction of punitive damages, will serve as a stronger deterrent against copyright infringement.

According to the amendment, in the process of litigation, the alleged infringers who claimed irresponsibility should produce evidence of obtaining permission from the copyright holder.

Some adjustments in expression were made in the law, including changing "citizens" to "natural persons" and "other organizations" to "unincorporated organizations" so as to make the amended copyright law more consistent with other civil laws in expression.

The amendment adds that the authorities shall have the power to inquire of the parties concerned, investigate illegal acts, conduct on-site inspections, consult and copy relevant materials and seal up and detain relevant places and goods during investigations.

It states that the reproductions of infringements should be destroyed upon the request of the obligees other than in exceptional cases.

The amendment adds that the materials, tools and facilities mainly used for the reproductions of infringements should be destroyed without any compensation.

The latest amendment will come into force on June 1 2021.

http://english.ipraction.gov.cn/article/ns/202011/327618.html

Invention Patent Applications of China up 11.2%

The number of invention patent applications on the Chinese Mainland exceeded 1.23 million during the first 10 months of 2020, up 11.2 percent year-on-year, according to the National Intellectual Property Administration (NIPA).

China also saw 55,000 applications filed via the World Intellectual Property Organization's Patent Cooperation Treaty System accepted during the 10-month period.

China's total amount of intellectual property pledge financing hit 166.4 billion yuan (about $25.16 billion) during the 10-month period, a year-on-year increase of 35 percent, and is likely to exceed 200 billion yuan for the whole year.

In the first eight months of 2020, the country's import and export volume of intellectual property royalties reached $29.13 billion, up by 4.2 percent year-on-year, of which the export volume was $5.58 billion, an increase of 26.4 percent year-on-year.

http://english.ipraction.gov.cn/article/ns/202011/327615.html

China's AI-Related Patent Filings Register Double-Digit Growth

China received more than 30,000 patent filings on artificial intelligence (AI) in 2019, an increase of 52.4 percent over the previous year. It published a total of 28,700 papers on AI, an increase of 12.4 percent over the previous year.

In 2019, 180 universities were approved to offer undergraduate programs on AI, and 11 universities, including Peking University, have set up AI colleges or research institutes.

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Yangtze River Delta, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area have become key engines for AI development, with the number of AI enterprises accounting for 83 percent of the country's total.

http://english.cnipa.gov.cn/art/2020/10/26/art_1347_153726.html

Chinese police crack over 11,000 cases involving counterfeit products in 2020

Public security organs in China have cracked more than 11,000 criminal cases involving intellectual property rights infringements and fake products so far this year, the Ministry of Public Security said on Nov 9, 2020.

More than 1,400 of the cases involve production and sales of fake goods through online stores, live-streaming promotions and other channels, according to the ministry.

In a case cracked in August, more than 40 suspects, including a live-streamer with over 1 million followers, were arrested by Shanghai police. Fake goods worth more than 50 million yuan (about $7.6 million) were involved in the case.

http://english.ipraction.gov.cn/article/ns/202011/327365.html

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