Many achievements were scored in the field of patent administration in 2002.

The SIPO organized the National Appraisal Activity for Selecting Outstanding Units in the Patent System. Ultimately 122 units were selected and honored with the title of National Outstanding Units on Patent Work, among which twenty-two patent administrations, two patent filing branches, sixty-three enterprises, twenty-one research institutes, ten universities and four medium service agencies were selected.

1. The Work in the Model Zones for Implementing the Intellectual Property System

On the basis of successfully carrying out patent pilot work in Wuhan and Yangling Model Zones of New High-tech Industries, the Changchun Development Zone of New High-tech Industries and the Baotou Development Zone of the Rear Earth and other New High-tech Industries were selected as model zones for implementing the intellectual property system in 2002. Meanwhile, according to the documents of the State Council, the Zhongguancun Scientific and Technological Zone was approved to be the National Model Zone for Implementing the Intellectual Property System. The model zone work in 2002 included the following measures. First, the formulation of the working plans of the model zones. the SIPO and the Changchun Municipality formulated the Working Plan of the Changchun New High-tech Industry Model Zone of the IP System and the Construction Plan of the China Medical Intellectual Property Information Center in Changchun and the development of the Working Plan of the Baotou Rare-Earth New High-tech Industry Model Zone of the IP System with the government of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Actions were also taken to draft the Working Plan of the National Model Zone of the IP System (the Zhongguancun Scientific and Technological Zone). Second, the completion of the first phase of the construction work of China Light Valley Intellectual Property Center and its web site which was formally put into use on June 18, and the further improving of the construction work of the Yangling Agricultural Intellectual Property Information Center. Third, the organization of the Wuhan - China Light Valley Intellectual Property Protection Forum with the Wuhan Municipality and the Yangling Agricultural Intellectual Property Protection Forum with the Shaanxi Provincial Government, which evoked strong social repercussions and extended the SIPO's influence. Fourth, the carrying out of IP consultation and information service activities, organizing investigations on patent strategies and policies, providing training and formulating related rules and regulations, which positively promoted enterprises and institutes in taking better advantages of the IP system.  Fifth, the organizing of meetings for leading groups of patent pilot work. Sixth, laying out the foundation for the China Petrochemical Patent Information Platform in cooperation with the China Petroleum and Gas Group Corporation and the Patent Database of the Equipment Production Industry with the Shenyang Municipality.

2. Promoting Patent Strategic Research

The year 2002 was the first year for the implementation of the national patent strategic promotion project. In 2002, the organization and implementation work of the patent strategic promotion project was initiated through well-planned and well-organized procedures. the SIPO signed seven cooperative research agreements with five ministries, commissions and other agencies, and sixteen commission research contracts with IP administrations of fifteen provinces and cities, related to many different fields of cooperation.

According to the national industry developing policies and the key areas in science and technology, the SIPO cooperated with the China Academy of Science to carry out patent strategic research on the production and utilization of hydrogenous energy and cooperated with the State Planning and Development Commission to carry out the intellectual property evaluation on the ground-based transmission system of digital TV which provided the decision-making basis for formulating the national digital TV system with independently owned IPRs. The patent strategic research work was strongly promoted through great effort and beneficial exploration.
 
3. Patent Administration Work Related to Other Ministries and Commissions

Patent administration work related to other ministries and commissions in 2002 was carried out as follows. First, through the promotion of relative trades and departments, such as the Ministry of Communications, to formulate the IP Administration Regulations. Second, through providing guidance and assistance to the trades and departments to carry out patent strategic research, for example, providing aid to the State Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense carried out research on IP policies and strategies in nine fields according to the developing needs of trades. Third, through the provision of support to the trades and departments to organize important activities, such as training courses, patent information briefs in important technical fields and symposiums. Fourth, through cooperation in the investigation and research activities on the Patent Law organized by the Standing Committee on Education, Science, Culture and Health of the NPC. And fifth, through the coordination of patent issues related to the Changjiang Gorges. The communication between the SIPO and relative trades and departments was strengthened through all of these efforts.

4. Patent Pilot Work among Enterprises and Institutes in the Whole Country

     Representatives from Pilot Enterprises and Institutes were holding bidding plates.

From March 26 to 27, the SIPO and the State Economic and Trade Commission co-organized the National Working Meeting on Patent Pilot Work of the First Group of Enterprises and Institutes in Shenzhen. The major task of the meeting was to act in the spirit of the National Patent Working Meeting, to implement the Notice on Carrying Out the National Patent Pilot Work of Enterprises and Institutes and to promote the pilot work of the first group of the national patent pilot enterprises and institutes, under the direction of the important thoughts of the "Three Representatives" in line with the new situation after China's accession to the WTO. Mr. Wang Jingchuan, Commissioner of the SIPO, and Mr. Xie Xu, Vice-Minister of the State Economic and Trade Commission, delivered speeches at the meeting. The pilot work of the first group of the national patent pilot enterprises and institutes was formally initiated after a long period of serious preparation. The major purpose of the pilot work was to promote the development of the pilot work of the state-owned enterprises and institutes through drawing experiences on the pilot work and formulating policies and strategies to direct the national patent pilot work.

On September 26, the SIPO transmitted the Direction Rules of Qinghai Direction Commission on Patent Pilot Work of Enterprises and Institutes, which was formulated by the IP Administration, the Bureau of Science and Technology, and the Economic and Trade Commission of Qinghai Province, under the direction of the related departments of the SIPO. In addition to the comprehensive discussion on the basic content and assessment standard of patent pilot work of enterprises and institutes, the document stressed combining the features and functions of the patent system and the production, development, operation and marketing of enterprises, and took the combined capability as one of the important standards for evaluating the patent work of enterprises and institutes.

5. Promoting the Model Projects of the Industrialization of Patented Technologies and the Pilot Work of the National Project on Industrialization of Patents

A total of seventy-three model projects were implemented in 2002 to promote the model projects of the industrialization of patented technologies. The IP administrations of twenty-eight provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government responsible for implementing the model projects fully carried out the implementing work of the model projects under the working arrangement and direction of the SIPO. The IP administrations of twenty-two provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government organized IP training courses for the technicians, managers of enterprises and IP administrators working for the model projects. The IP administrations of twenty provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government undertook the establishment of the patent documentation databases for more than 60 implementing units responsible for the model projects.

In 2002 the pilot work of the National Project on Industrialization of Patents was launched to promote the incubation mechanism and platform for the industrialization of patents. Through study visits, investigation, research and scientific demonstration, the Hubei Provincial Incubation Park for Starting New Business depending on Patents, Nixia New Material Industry Science and Technology Park, and Jiangdong New Business Initiating Center of Ningbo City, were approved as the national pilot bases for the industrialization of patents. Under the direction of the SIPO, the three bases, according to the pilot plans, carried out comprehensive pilot work in the aspects of establishing patent industrialization platform and mechanism, selecting important patent programs, and promoting industrialization so as to achieve model effects.

6. Patent Administration on Domestic Markets

With respect to the registration of patent mortgage contracts, in 2002, the SIPO received a total of seventy registrations, modifications and cancellations of mortgages on patent rights, among which there were twenty-six registrations with a mortgage value of 199.3809 million RMB and a debit value of 161.8579 million RMB, eight modifications and thirty-six cancellations.

With respect to the issuance of certificates for advertisement of patents, in 2002, 231 certificates were issued for advertisement of patents in the whole country, among which, ninety were directly issued by the SIPO and 141 were issued by the IP administrations of provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the leadership of the Central Government and cities specifically designated in the state plan.

With respect to the recordation of patent licensing contracts, in 2002, A total of 301 recordings of patent licensing contracts were registered in the whole country, among which 150 were registered directly within the SIPO, while 151 were registered at local IP administrations. The publication of the recordings of patent licensing contracts was initiated and the Section on Publication of the Recordings of Patent Licensing Contracts was formulated.
In order to strengthen patent administration in foreign trade, to protect legitimate rights and interests of patentees and the public, and to promote foreign trade especially in the development of technology trade, the SIPO and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economy drafted and circulated the Opinion on Strengthening Patent Administration in Foreign Trade to the whole country.

7. National Patent Exhibitions

the SIPO and the Liaoning Provincial Government co-organized the 2002 China International Trade Fair on Patented Technologies and Products, in which more than 1500 enterprises and institutes participated, with more than 4000 patents involved and a total business volume of 1.437 billion RMB, and on which sixty-eight patent licensing contracts were signed, with a volume of 430 million RMB generated from patent business and the ordering goods, attracting foreign investment valued at 14.7 million US dollars. Commissioner Wang Jingchuan and Vice Provincial Governor Xia Deren attended the Opening Ceremony of the Trade Fair and delivered speeches, while Provincial Governor Bo Xilai sent a letter of congratulations on the opening of the Fair.

the SIPO organized and sent representatives to attend the 2002 China-Yangling Fair on Agricultural New High-tech Achievements together held by seventy ministries and commissions and the Shaanxi Provincial Government in Yangling, Shaanxi, and successfully organized seventy-two units from twenty-five provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the leadership of the Central Government to exhibit more than 160 items, which were high technology and produce embodied independently-owned IPRs having well-known reputations. There were more than sixty foreign investment items exhibited, among which seventeen items with a value over 10 million RMB and eight worth over 100 million RMB. More than seventy items were related to patent transfer, more than forty were related to technology promotion, and more than twenty were related to demonstrations on export trade. Therefore, the SIPO was honored by Shaanxi Provincial Government with the three highest Awards of the Trade Fair, including the Outstanding Organization Award, the Best Exhibition Award and the Best Business Award.

the SIPO was one of the major organizers of the 2002 China International Fair on Scientific and Technological Industry held in Beijing. During that period, the SIPO successfully organized the International Intellectual Property Forum.

In addition, the SIPO also successfully organized the 2002 China-Hefei Trading Fair on New and High Technologies, the National Exhibition Fair on Patented Technologies in Qufu, Shandong, and other events. In 2002, the SIPO also directed and participated in the organization of many patent exhibitions held by local governments, departments and trades.

8. Patent Pilot Cities

Before the opening ceremony of the Fair, Deputy Commissioner Tian Lipu (second from the left) and Deputy Commissioner Xing Shengcai (first from the left) visited the exhibition area of SIPO.

On 21 June, the National Working Conference on Patent  Pilot Cities was held in Wuhan.

In 2002, the patent pilot cities focused on several objectives. First, the adjustment of the number of cities responsible for implementing the patent pilot work. the SIPO approved Wuhan, Shijiazhuang, Mianyang, Xiangtan, Xiamen and Wujin to enter the new phase of patent pilot work, while Shenyang, Lanzhou, Nanchang, Hefei, Nanjing, Ningbo, Changchun, Guiyang, Baotou, and Nanhai were approved to continue their patent pilot work. the SIPO decided to add Guangzhou, Harbin, Jinan, Chengdu, Luoyang, Qingdao, Yichang and Wenzhou to the list of the cities responsible for national patent pilot work. The total number of cities participating in patent pilot work reached twenty-four.

The second objective was the circulation of the Notice on Developing Patent Pilot Cities' Work in 2002 to deploy annual tasks for the patent pilot cities.

The third objective was the revision of the Direction on Patent Pilot Cities' Work to Promote Technological Innovation, to meet the needs of China's accession to the WTO, to further promote local governments to use the patent system the promotion of technological innovation and economic development, and to greatly enhance comprehensive competitiveness of cities, issued the Revised Accession Standard for Patent Work, to make scientific and fair accession on the work of the patent pilot cities' work, and to reflect the competitiveness and innovation ability of the pilot cities from the aspect of patent work.

The fourth objective was, with approval of General Office of the State Council, for the SIPO to hold the National Working Conference of the Patent Pilot Cities in Wuhan. Mr. Wang Jingchuan, Commissioner of the SIPO, Mr. Tian Lipu and Mr. Xing Shengcai, Deputy Commissioners of the SIPO, Mr. Wang Shaojie, Vice Provincial Governor of Hubei, Mr. Li Xiansheng, Acting Mayor of Wuhan, attended the conference. The competent Mayors and Secretary Generals from the four Municipalities directly under the Central Government and twenty-four patent pilot cities, and directors of IP administrations of patent pilot cities and their provinces and autonomous regions, participated in the conference.

9. Patent Receiving Branches

According to the Methods on Application for Establishing Patent Receiving Branches, the SIPO approved the establishment of patent receiving branches in Zhengzhou, Harbin, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, and Changchun. The number of patent receiving branches has reached 14 up to now.

2003-04-25