December 2010 

IPR2 has published a comparative analysis of the State Intellectual Property Office's Patent Examination Guidelines, which were updated following the revision of the Patent Law in 2009. It presents the provisions of the updated Guidelines for 2010 in English and Chinese and gives a comparative review of changes from 2006. It is provided free-of-charge and may be downloaded here Patent Examination Guidelines: A Comparative Analysis 2006 and 2010 5.64 MB.

27-29 October 2010, Beijing

IPR2 organised a workshop together with the Legislative Affairs Office (LAO) of the National People’s Congress (NPC) on the revision of the Chinese Trademark Law. Some 20 officials from the drafting team of LAO, the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) and other courts, the State Administration of Industry and Commerce (SAIC) and the China Trademark Association (CTA) participated; as well as experts and representatives from relevant agencies, European and Chinese academics, officials and practitioners working in the field of trademark law to review and discuss pertinent questions to the revision process and its expected impact. 

9-10 September 2010, Beijing

IPR2 supported a workshop of experts and officials from the legal drafting team of the Legislative Affairs Commission (LAC) and the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) as part of preparations for revising China’s Civil Procedure Law. European academics, officials and practitioners working the field of civil law discussed questions raised by the drafting team, drawing from their experiences to assess the expected impact of potential changes to the law and provide suggestions for the revision.

21 to 23 July 2010, Hohhot

IPR2 in co-operation with the Legislative Affairs Commission (LAC) of the National People’s Congress (NPC) held a workshop dedicated to the revision of China's Trademark Law, drawing on the expertise and experience of European academics, officials and practitioners working the field of trademark law, to address questions raised by the LAC officials responsible for drafting the new law, review and discuss its expected impact, and make suggestions relevant to the drafting work.

30 May-5 June 2010, The Netherlands, France and Switzerland

20-21 May 2010, Qingdao

IPR2, together with the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) and the Shandong Provincial Administration for Industry and Commerce, organised an expert workshop on the legal framework governing the protection of trade secrets. More than 50 Chinese and European academics, officials and practitioners working the field of trade secrets protection came together to review and provide suggestions for the amendment of the Chinese legal system.

Updated December 2010 

The IPR2 publication'Third Revision of China's Patent Law: Legal texts and documents on the drafting process 2006-2008'  compiles the most relevant documentation at each stage of the Patent Law revision, including the full text of the new Patent Law, its drafts and subsequent Implementing Regulations and Supreme People's Court Judicial Interpretations; as well as supporting documents, such as explanatory notes from the Chinese authorities and comments submitted by institutional stakeholders and industry at each stage of the revision. View flyer698.80KB

14-25 May 2009, Austria, Switzerland and Spain

IPR2 supported a delegation of officials from the Legislative Affairs Commission (LAC) of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) on a study tour to Austria, Switzerland and Spain, to meet with European academics, officials and practitioners, as part of China's revision of the Copyright Law, discuss the expected impact of the new law and provide recommendations to the drafting team. 

20-21 November 2008, Beijing

IPR2 supported a workshop, together with the National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC) from 20-21 November in Beijing, to exchange views on future legislation on copyrights on the internet. The Copyright Law is a key element of the Chinese IP system and plays a prominent role in the newly published guidelines of the National IP Strategy of China. Presentations by European and Chinese experts included file sharing regulations and the liability of internet service and content providers (ISP/ICPs).

23 October - 1 November 2008, Spain and Germany

As part of its support to China’s revision of the Patent Law, IPR2 supported a delegation of officials from the Legislative Affairs Commission (LAC) of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) on a study tour to Berlin, Düsseldorf, Munich and Madrid from 23 October to 1 November 2008.

24-25 September 2008, Harbin

The Chinese Patent Law is currently undergoing its third revision. The revision aims to improve and strengthen patent protection in China in line with the goal of constructing an “innovative country” as outlined in the National IPR Strategy, as well as bring it fully in line with WTO requirements. IPR2 supported a workshop together with the Legislative Affairs Committee (LAC) in its last stages of the crucial legislative drafting work. The workshop involved European experts who assisted the review of the draft Patent Law, discussing its expected impact, addressing questions and making suggestions to the drafting team.

7-8 September 2008, Shanghai

The EU-China IPR2 Project supported the Supreme People’s Court together with the East China University of Political Science and Law (ECUPL) in hosting a seminar and workshop in Shanghai on the respective legal systems for determining well-known trademarks in China and Europe. More than 100 participants, including judges, academics and members of industry came together for constructive discussions on the legal framework, scope of protection and mechanisms for protection; in particular China’s dual system and the determination of well-known trademarks.

7-8 May 2008, Beijing

Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council (SCLAO) in hosting a Roundtable to solicit opinions and experiences from Chinese and European experts on a number of questions of interest to the drafting team. This Roundtable provided a unique opportunity to support SCLAO and the patent legislation process, relying on a large number of Chinese and European experts to cover the specific topics.