China Lists Specific Measures to Combat Infringements and Counterfeiting

Recently, the National Leading Group on the Fight against IP infringement and Counterfeiting issued the Key Points of the National Work on the Fight against IP Infringement and Counterfeiting in 2020. The Key Points requires adhering to regulating by law, integration of fight and construction, overall coordination, and regulating in collaboration with the society, promoting inter-agency, cross-domain and cross-region law enforcement, severely cracking down on infringements, counterfeiting, violations and crimes in accordance with the law, and facilitating a market-friendly, rule of law, international business environment according to the Opinions on Strengthening IP protection.

The Key Points makes arrangements for the nationwide fight against IP infringement, counterfeiting in 2020, involving seven aspects and 35 tasks, and elaborating China should deepen regulating key areas and product supervision, strengthen regulating infringements and counterfeits on the Internet, in rural and urban-rural junction markets, circulation of import and export, beef up IP protection of foreign-invested enterprises; reinforce protection of IP such as trademark exclusive rights and rights and interests of other commercial signs, enhance patent administrative adjudication and crack down on passing-off patents, adopt strict protection of copyrights and geographical indications, intensify protection of new plant varieties and market supervision of forest and plant seeds, continue to promote use of licensed software, improve environment-friendly destruction and investigate and handle tax-related infringement and counterfeiting cases.

The Key Points stresses that with regard to the severe punishment of infringement, counterfeiting, violations and crimes, China should heighten its crackdown, perform prosecution agressively, further promote judicial protection, and strengthen the trial of key infringement and counterfeiting cases in key industries and areas. In addition, China should build a pattern of social co-governance, strengthen information disclosure, intensify responsibilities of major market players, play the role of industry organization, optimize corporate IP services, continuously strengthen rights enforcement and assistance, and continue to conduct education and guidance; deepen external exchanges and cooperation, multilateral and bilateral exchanges and cooperation, vigorously strengthen cross-border law enforcement cooperation, support enterprises to carry out IP enforcement overseas; promote business capacity building, improve professional standards, use information methods, and strengthen systematic publicity.

Source: China IP News