Steve Jobs died the month that the latest Nobel Prize winners were announced. The coincidence lends itself to speculation about inevitability. Should there be a Nobel Prize for Innovation? If so, the winner of the year would have to be Mr. Jobs.
Mr. Jobs was and is much respected and remembered because of his entrepreneurial and innovative spirit and under his leadership, the revolution that Apple brought to its entire industrial chain came from his innovative performance and capability. We name this successful application as the J-Innovation. The innovative spirit and mechanisms he utilized are standards worthy of study and are values Chinese companies should be learning and studying.
2011 marks the tenth anniversary of China's entry into the WTO. It is also a good time for standing back and summarizing and thinking about what we have accomplished and where we are heading. During the 10 years, the WTO has greatly influenced both our economy and life, and in particular, our IP awareness and system. It is a special moment that encourages us to sum up our losses and gains and envision the future of China and the WTO. In the past decade, the IP circle of China has dedicated itself to applied innovations by dealing with specific details. The typical representative has been The Supreme People's Court, which has established the IP judgment system. In addition, there is Rouse & Co. International, which has promoted the new IP legal service model. Their innovative courses will be presented in detail respectively by Jiang Zhipei, Former Chief Justice of the IP Tribunal of The Supreme People's Court, and Linda Chang, Rouse's China Country Manager.
The "mercer.com.cn" domain name dispute case, which lasted for more than four years, finally came to an end, with the American company being the final winner. Despite discontentment and questioning over the subject status, admission of evidence and application of laws in the court proceedings, the judgment sufficiently embodies the fundamental rules and spirits of the IP system, showing the progress China has made over the past decade.
While summarizing our past experiences, we should also listen to the comments provided by those outside China and consider their recommendations. JETRO, a familiar name in the IP sector, has also been in China for ten years. How does it reflect on the rapidly developing and changing IP environment of China over these years? What does it recommend regarding the shortcomings or insufficiencies of our IP-related systems under the WTO framework, and how can we break through the bottleneck to realize the true potential of our own innovation? We ask that you pay attention to our series of reports; to consider our retrospective view and try to look to the future and envision China's IP career following the initial ten years in the WTO and what is yet to come.
