The State Council published the Outline of the National Intellectual Property Strategy on June 5, 2008. ("Outline")

This is an extremely important document, which signifies that the Chinese national intellectual property ("IP") strategy has formally launched out in the spirit of developing IP industries in the following years till 2020 as a national policy.

The Outline encourages the development of core technologies and trademarks to obtain international reputation. In addition, the Outline also emphasizes the improvement and modification of legislation on IP, and will enhance IP protection, enforcement and IP administration. The Outline also encourages the transfer of technology from the academic institutions into industrial application.

As a guideline, this document provides general tasks in the following IP areas, patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, new variety of plants, and other specific areas (such as integrated circuit, traditions (e.g. traditional Chinese medicine), geographic signs, folk art, genetic sources), IP protection on national defence.

It can be expected that regulations on tax incentives, industrial development direction, IP enforcement, IP protection and administration, will come out in the following five years, based on this Outline.

To access an informal English translation of the Outline published on the website of the SIPO please click here

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The original publication date for this article was 14/07/2008.