To paraphrase the Bard: “A rose by any other name smells just as sweet”. Can the same comparison be said for what was SIPO arguably the world’s most prolific patent office, serving one-sixth humanity, and representing/manifesting/protecting innovation in the world’s second largest economy? We shall see, time will tell. This is a sign, Made in China 2025 is not nothing. The USPTO China Attache Program’s mis-steps aside wherein not one admitted USPTO lawyer with a STEM education is embedded in US China Missions has affected even the slightest changes-China marches on with a plan. America, well not so much based upon past swamp-dwellers who gave-away US stakeholders rights in China. As Mr Trump stated over and over, it was not the Chinese fault, they were doing what was best for them as to IP. The US officials acquiesced to the wholesale IP theft through the mismanagement of for example the USPTO China Attache program costing the US inventors money and making filing patent applications higher to pay for 20+ persons to come to China and do little or nothing.
As a State-media Commentator and observer who has legal and IP training and experience, no doubt the past two years have witnessed great progress in China’s intellectual property area with the pilot reform in the comprehensive management of intellectual property and the restructuring of the State Intellectual Property Office.
The government reports/declares Chinese regulatory authorities realize an integrated management of patent, design, trademark, geographical indication of origin and the layout designs of integrated circuit, was important and now they are making this plan a reality. These changes are thought to greatly improve the management efficiency of intellectual property for China and the world (interested in the China market).
So according to with the restructuring plan approved by the 13th National People’s Congress, the State Intellectual Property Office of China (SIPO) has been duly renamed China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) as of August 29, 2018. CNIPA will not subordinate to the State Council, but under the supervision of the newly established State Administration of Market Supervision and Administration (which will include the SAIC and the China Trademark Office too).
All this has been announced with the recent message to the “One Belt, One Road” Conference of August 28, 2018, wherein President Xi Jinping reinforced the principle China will unswervingly strengthened the protection of intellectual property rights by establishing a sound environment for business and innovation to protect IP rights of all enterprises.
President Xi went on to confirm things are organized and China is ready to strengthen dialogue and expand cooperation with all participants to achieve a win-win result in advancing the protection and application of IP rights for the benefit of all people. And so it goes.