Beijing
Internet video companies set up self-regulating union
Online video providers including Sohu, Tencent and Youku set up a genuine Internet video union on Saturday. The union aims to maintain good order in the Internet video copyright market via members' self-discipline and mutual help. The members pledged to provide viewers with genuine and quality films and TV programs on their own platforms and agreed on members' responsibilities and obligations related to copyright issues.
Legal Daily
Examiners boost mutual learning and communication
Eighty-five patent examiners started working at 25 companies in the city's Zhongguancun industrial park to boost communication and learning, and to improve working ability through practical activities. The examiners were selected from 10 departments of the State Intellectual Property Office. In the past five years, more than 320 patent examiners have worked at about 100 companies in the city, including some at the Zhongguancun area.
people.com.cn
Hebei
Fake sports apparel makers caught in export crackdown
Shijiazhuang customs announced that they cracked down on a group exporting counterfeit clothes and sports shoes, involving total potential sales worth 70,000 yuan ($11,275). It is the first case solved since the local customs launched a campaign last month to fight against the export of fake commodities. The poorly made and packed items seized at the airport were labeled with fake internationally renowned trademarks, including Nike and New Balance.
hebnews.cn
Liaoning
New reform guideline urges industrial bases to upgrade
The National Development and Reform Commission issued a guideline to urge old industrial bases in Northeast China to transform their economic growth model from factor-driven to innovation-driven. The move requires strengthening of intellectual property law enforcement and protection in pillar industries and core technologies, and also encourages local companies and industrial associations to establish patent pools. The commission said in the guideline that a series of IP-related reform measures would be tested in Shenyang as a pilot.
China Intellectual Property News
Shanghai
Cartoon, game expo draws overseas, domestic visitors
The 11th China International Cartoon and Game Expo was held from July 9 to 13. The event attracted more than 300 exhibitors from China and overseas, including publishers, cartoon and game developers and media companies. The expo covered 480,000 square meters, 40 percent of which was taken up by overseas exhibitors. A series of forums focusing on intellectual property were held during the event, with topics including copyright protection and licensing.
Shanghai Morning Post
Anhui
Free cultural heritage craft courses get underway
Free summer courses on intangible cultural heritage crafts began in Hefei, the provincial capital, on July 6. Twelve courses are being offered including decorative gourd carving, shadow play, scissor-cutting and egg carving. "Only by popularizing knowledge of intangible cultural heritage can we lay a foundation for its inheritance and protection," said Yang Chen, a representative at the Hefei cultural center. More than 3,000 students have joined in the annual courses since they launched six years ago.
Hefei Daily
Guangdong
Individual furniture patent applicants gain equal rights
Furniture manufacturers in Dongguan can get access to quick examinations when applying for design patents in the name of individuals, according to the latest policy by the local IP quick assistance center for furniture. The mechanism, which took effect on July 2 and was previously only open to company applicants, enables individuals to gain patents in just two days. Industry insiders said that local furniture company owners prefer applying for patents in the name of individuals for more convenient operations.
(China Daily 07/15/2015 page17)
