1 Inner Mongolia

Ancient capital is World Heritage

At a meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia on June 29, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee included Yuanshangdu in Inner Mongolia autonomous region, one of two capitals in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), on its list of sites.

The addition brings China's total number of World Heritage sites to 42.

Located in Xilin Gol League, one of 12 prefecture-level divisions in the region today, the ancient capital dates back to 1256.

The palace area and city cover more than 250 square kilometers.

Xinhua

2 Tianjin

East Asian Games enforcement

Enforcement of intellectual property protection for the 2013 East Asian Games began on July 1, said the event's organizing committee.

The rules ban unauthorized use of the games' trademarks, logos and products in creative productions, advertising, exhibitions or promotional activities.

It also forbids unauthorized use on Internet domain names, residences or buildings.

The regulations extend infringement liability to warehousing, transportation and delivery of goods and services.

The games will be held in the northern municipality from Oct 6 to 15, 2013.

It will be the second time for China to host the event following the Shanghai games 1993.

China Intellectual Property News

3 Beijing

Report: IP is driving growth

Proprietary intellectual property has become a driving force in China's growth, according to a national report on sustainable development released in early June.

The report, the first of its kind in the country, noted that China is now home to 127 national engineering research centers, 729 State-level corporate technological centers and more than 5,500 provincial-level corporate tech centers.

The study said companies now contribute 53 percent of the country's total invention patent applications.

Driven by intensive R&D in renewable energy, the country has been more than 90 percent self-sufficient in energy over the past 10 years, the report said.

China is now the world's largest hydropower and wind power producer.

China Intellectual Property News

Sino-Russian 'patent highway'

A one-year Sino-Russian "patent highway" initiative began operation on July 1 to share results of intellectual property offices in the two countries.

The effort is designed to streamline patent application procedures and help companies enter markets in China and Russia.

Sipo.gov.cn

4 Chongqing

Cache of fake cigarettes

Four suspects have been arrested for selling fake brand cigarettes in the southwestern municipality, including one who located her warehouse across the street from the city's tobacco administration, according to local police.

The bold owner surnamed Zhang said "the most dangerous place is the safest", noting the location enabled her to more easily monitor enforcement officials and ensure safe shipment of the counterfeits.

About two-thirds of the illegal cache was comprised of fake Yuxi cigarettes specially made for export, which were so authentic looking even experts had difficulty telling the difference, police said.

Account books seized by police show that the suspects had more than 10 million yuan ($1.57 million) in revenues from illegal sales.

Chongqing Morning

5 Sichuan

Industrial design protection

Experts, attorneys, judges and corporate managers shared insights on legal practices in industrial design protection at a recent forum in Chengdu, capital of the southwestern province.

About 100 representatives from patent agencies, companies and organizations from across the country participated in the meeting.

Sipo.gov.cn

6 Gansu

Copycat sculpture chisel

The Lanzhou Intermediate People's Court has fined a local art product firm 50,000 yuan for violating a patent licensing agreement.

The defendant Yanlong Co signed a one-year contract with Jiyuan Cultural Co in 2005 for authorized sale of its patented sculpture Playing the Lute on the Back.

The sculpture design was created by Sun Jiyuan, art director of Jiyuan Cultural Co, which was later granted a patent. Sun's creation was inspired by ancient murals in the famed Buddhist Mogao Caves in Dunhuang city.

Yet after the contract expired, Jiyuan found its former partner selling a nearly identical sculpture.

Yanlong told the court it sold a Fujian company's sculpture different from the one created by the artist Sun.

The court ruled that the difference was too subtle for an average customer to notice.

Gansudaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/04/2012 page17)