CHENGDU TO ESTABLISH AN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY COURT

On the 7th December 2015, the Chengdu Evening News reported Chengdu’s initiatives to establish an “intellectual property court” and we summarise the main points with added commentary.

Mr. Guo Yan, the president of the Chengdu Municipal Intermediate People’s Court announced the court would be managing administrative, civil and criminal matters pertaining to intellectual property infringements and rights. Furthermore the initiative is foreshadowed in Chengdu’s ‘13th Five Year Plan’ and significant steps are being undertaken to ensure the intellectual property court is in operation within the year.   

Mr. Guo Yan also states, “Chengdu has always attached great importance to the protection of IP. Approximately ten years ago, the Chengdu Municipal Intermediate People’s Court established a specialist IP division, but hopefully with a ‘standalone intellectual property court’, it will significantly assist in safeguarding intellectual property rights.” 

According to the court’s statistics, there are approximately 1,000 IP cases under consideration within Chengdu. However with a large number of Fortune 500 companies entering Chengdu there will be an increased need for intellectual property safeguards.   

Mr. Guo further states, “With intellectual property courts set up in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, Chengdu is taking strident steps to establish it’s intellectual property court, as soon as possible.”

Investinchengdu.com and Dailu is fully supportive of the initiative because professionals and enterprises vehemently safeguard their unique business designs and models and without adequate legal protection they will be reluctant to develop and fully commercialise them.

Indeed various western and even local firms have raised poignant points regarding China’s intellectual property laws, highlighting copyright and patent breaches. However, in the last three to five years China has made significant inroads regarding intellectual property protection and western and local enterprises can quietly and confidently commercialise their inventions. But yes there will always be challenges in any global start up capital , especially when startups and enterprises have ground breaking innovations , because you are always dealing with people.  

However, locating one’s start up business and research hubs within Chengdu may be one of the solutions to these so called intellectual property challenges.

Chengdu, its institutions, and its entrepreneurs deeply respect the rule of law and have a very high regard for business ethics. Chengdu with a history of over 2,300 years has cultivated a very unique characteristic that of ‘Honest Chengdu’ and has an esteemed “Respect for Law and Order”.

The founders of investinchengdu.com are confident that knowledgeable and talented professionals, startups and growing and innovative enterprises that contemplate to commercialise and further research their intellectual property in Chengdu will find this characteristic as helpful as the development of the standalone intellectual property court.   

Indeed, the creation of the intellectual property court further strengthens Chengdu’s business and investment credibility within Western China. This important initiative is a continuation of Chengdu’s journey as Western China economic and investment epicenter.

Information source: Chengdu Evening News, 7/12/2015

Disclaimer: The above article has been summarized and translated from The Chengdu Evening News.