Rich human resources are among the cornerstones of CCPIT Patent and Trademark Law Office's steady development and success in handling international intellectual property affairs in the past 60 years. The firm began to offer trademark services in 1957 and patent services in 1984. It has been chosen as a top intellectual property agency by Chinese and foreign organizations for several consecutive years.
"One of our main strengths is that we have a strong expert team," said Long Chuanhong, deputy head of the firm. "Nearly 300 patent and trademark attorneys work with our office and their average practicing time exceeds a decade." Many of the attorneys have trained in overseas IP law, to learn about related foreign practices and handled foreign cases.
The firm helped a large Chinese oil company to win its trademark registration in Africa and the case changed local juridical practice related to trademark application principles, Long said.
With the firm's aid, a large automobile enterprise succeeded in a trademark scramble with noted foreign companies in Europe and Australia.
The firm's large expert team also ensures comprehensive solutions and excellent services are provided to companies, Long said.
Shouldering social responsibilities is a key component of the firm's values, he said. It has assumed secretariat responsibilities for Chinese branches of two international organizations: the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property and the Licensing Executives Society International. The firm has cooperated with other organizations under the CCPIT system, offering IP training to Chinese companies.
With the ongoing Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, Long said that Chinese enterprises and individuals have increased their patent filings in countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative in recent years.
Chinese people filed 4,834 patent applications in Belt and Road economies in 2016, a year-on-year increase of 47.1 percent. With 3,017 patent filings from China last year - up 131.5 percent year-on-year - India was the top destination, followed by Russia, Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines, in terms of the number of Chinese applications.
In comparison, China received 3,697 patent filings from applicants in 37 economies along the Belt and Road in 2016, a year-on-year rise of 18.2 percent. Singapore, Israel, India, Saudi Arabia and Russia were the top five sources of filings.
Long said that many of the countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road adopted important international treaties relating to IP, such as the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, which makes it convenient for companies to file patent and trademark applications abroad.
The High-level Conference on Intellectual Property for Countries along the Belt and Road was hosted in Beijing in July 2016 to strengthen IP cooperation among involved countries and regions. At a roundtable meeting during the conference, IP organizations from different countries agreed on an initiative to promote cooperation.
As more Chinese companies develop in the markets involved in the Belt and Road, Long suggested the businesses apply for patents and trademarks before exporting products. In many cases where noted Chinese brands had been registered by others abroad, the Chinese companies had to abandon their well-established brands or to pay a high price to take them back, he said.
Long also advised that Chinese enterprises pay attention to preventing IP risks and avoiding IP infringements while doing business overseas, whether they be participating in exhibitions, producing and selling products or building factories with partners.
Source: China Daily.
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