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IPR protection stressed to encourage innovation
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-12-27 10:25 The Chinese government has shown strong
determination to enforce the protection of intellectual property rights (IPRs)
in the next few years, as IPR protection has been repeatedly underscored by top
leaders this year.
The Communist Party of China has included innovation into its 11th Five-Year
Plan (2006-2010) at a meeting held in October. The term was stressed again at
the central economy work meeting earlier this Month.
"The IPR protection is key to innovation, and therefore crucial to building
China into a nation of innovation." Tian Lipu, director of the State
Intellectual Property Office (SIPC), said recently.
China's top leaders have stressed IPR protection many times this year.
President Hu Jintao said China would strengthen IPR protection to contribute to
the global trade growth. He said afterwards while meeting U.S. President George
W. Bush that the Chinese government would willingly beef up muscle in fighting
against IPR infringement.
The problem of lacking IPRs became more and more serious as China's economy
grew stronger in recent years. Statistics with the SIPC show that only
2,000-plus Chinese enterprises, or every three out of 10,000 enterprises, have
proprietary IPRs.
As bad IPR protection has caused troubles among domestic and overseas
enterprises, foreign ventures in China feel threatened in the field.
John Du, director of Intel China Research Center, said IPR protection was the
soil for a company's innovation and IPR protection was "very important" to
Intel's development in China.
Bad situation of IPR protection has, in the meantime, become an obstacle to
innovation for Chinese companies.
IPR protection must precede innovation, said Ren Zhengfei, president of
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. which is well-known for research and development
in China.
The real victims of bad IPR protection will be Chinese companies with
innovation potentials, instead of their western counterparts, said Ren.
Western enterprises will be free from infringement as their core intellectual
property rights are securely protected in their home country, he explained.
The Chinese State Council has started to draft a national strategy on
intellectual property rights. The Ministry of Commerce pledged to launch a
campaign against infringements of trademarks and patents as well as to establish
a channel for immediate report of IPR infringements.
China has to face checks on IPR protection by the World Trade Organization
for eight years since its entry into the organization.
But China's strategy-making on IPR is not only due to pressure from the
outside, said analysts. That is a must in China's transforming from high energy
consumption and serious pollution to intensive growth with technology at the
core.
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