Intellectual Property Rights In China

Intellectual property (IP) law has been widely discussed in recent scholarship, though many recent works explore the topic from a largely descriptive perspective. This book provides an analytical and comparative study of Chinese and European IP law, as well as an analysis of system reforms in China. The book highlights, in three parts, intellectual property for innovation and creativity in China, comparing concepts and norms in Chinese and European IP law, and governance of practices and IP enforcement. Demonstrating that the governance of IP rights requires the adoption of a set of norms, the contributors also argue that success is dependent on a transformation of the perspectives and implementation. Students and scholars of IP law, and Chinese IP law in particular, will find this book to be a valuable resource to their work. It will also be of interest to IP practitioners looking for an insight into system reforms in China.

This sweeping study examines the law of intellectual property in Chinese civilization from imperial days to the present. It uses materials drawn from law, the arts and other fields as well as extensive interviews with Chinese and foreign officials, business people, lawyers, and perpetrators and victims of "piracy."

This is one in a series of country reports on the intellectual property systems of Asia. The authors and editors note the difficulty of obtaining authentic source material, but nevertheless provide as comprehensive a view of China's intellectual property protection as possible.

The book provides a clear overview of intellectual property legislation and policy, and atthe same time offers practical guidance on which sound preliminary decisions may bebased. Lawyers representing parties with interests in China will welcome this very usefulguide, and academics and researchers will appreciate its value in the study of comparativeintellectual property law.

Over the past three decades, China has transformed itself from a stagnant, inward, centrally planned economy into an animated, outward-looking, decentralized market economy. Its rapid growth and trade surpluses have caused uneasiness in Western governments, which perceive this growth to be a result of China's rejection of international protocols that protect intellectual property and its widespread theft and replication of Western technology and products. China's major trading partners, particularly the United States, persistently criticize China for delivering, at best, half-hearted enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR) norms. Despite these criticisms, Zhenqing Zhang argues that China does respect international intellectual property rights, but only in certain cases. In Intellectual Property Rights in China, Zhang addresses the variation in the effectiveness of China's IPR policy and explains the mechanisms for the uneven compliance with global IPR norms. Covering the areas of patent, copyright, and trademark, Zhang chronicles how Chinese IPR policy has evolved within the legacy of a planned economy and an immature market mechanism. In this environment, compliance with IPR norms is the result of balancing two factors: the need for short-term economic gains that depend on violating others' IPR and the aspirations for long-term sustained growth that requires respecting others' IPR. In case studies grounded in theoretical analysis as well as interviews and fieldwork, Zhang demonstrates how advocates for IPR, typically cutting-edge Chinese companies and foreign IPR holders, can be strong enough to persuade government officials to comply with IPR norms to achieve the country's long-term economic development goals. Conversely, he reveals the ways in which local governments protect IPR infringers because of their own political interests in raising tax revenues and creating jobs.

This book offers a guide to intellectual property law in the People’s Republic of China. It simplifies the complex and rather atypical judicial system and uses practical cases to demonstrate how Chinese IP law really works. The IP system is evolving rapidly in China, with the adoption of numerous new laws and regulations, more sophisticated and detailed than their predecessors. As such the book provides an up-to-date overview of the field, including legal protection and tax assessment practices in China, focusing especially on matters regarding trademark, patent and copyright law and its protection. It also covers Chinese IP in the international context, discussing all the relevant international organizations and treaties. Furthermore, by presenting the right mix of practice and theory, and examining the best-known IP infringement cases in China, it allows readers to gain an understanding of potential IP infringement risks and ways to protect their own legal rights and interests. In addition, it provides insights into the important area of valorization and fiscal management of IP in China. Based on written law and regulations as well as the authors’ expertise, it is a valuable resource for foreign lawyers and foreign companies alike.

Perhaps no Asian country currently attracts more interest from foreign inventors and investors than China. In many cases, however, this avid interest in foreign investment is not based on a reliable knowledge of China's legal framework and of protection of technology in particular. In a jurisdiction where the laws are complemented and interpreted by numerous guidelines and circulars issued by ministries or courts, such knowledge and awareness is all the more important. 'Intellectual property law in China' provides comprehensive coverage of all aspects of intellectual property protection in China, emphasising particularly those issues of most concern to foreign investors: protection of well-known marks, issues of technology transfer, and, most important of all, actual enforcement of IP rights.

In this original study of intellectual property rights (IPR) in relation to state capacity, Dimitrov analyzes this puzzle by offering the first systematic analysis of all IPR enforcement avenues in China, across all IPR subtypes. He shows that the extremely high volume of enforcement provided for copyrights and trademarks is unfortunately of a low quality, and as such serves only to perpetuate IPR violations. In the area of patents, however, he finds a low volume of high-quality enforcement. In light of these findings, the book develops a theory of state capacity that conceptualizes the Chinese state as simultaneously weak and strong. The book draws on extensive fieldwork in China and five other countries, as well as on 10 unique IPR enforcement datasets that exploit previously unexplored sources, including case files of private investigation firms.

. . . the editors of this book have done an excellent job, and both academics and practitioners will find this book worthwhile and enjoyable. Wei Shi, Communications Law China s accession to the WTO and TRIPS heralded massive changes in Chinese intellectual property (IP) law. This book asks whether all aspects of Chinese law and practice are now TRIPs compliant. The study offers both Chinese and European perspectives. Examining substantive IP law in detail, the contributors conclude that the changes have been far reaching and TRIPS compliance has been achieved. They also argue that China s IP laws are now addressing the new challenges of the digital revolution and the global economy. Of equal importance is enforcement, and in this respect the book reveals that change started later and that further work remains to be done. The book highlights the important efforts that are underway and the undeniable progress that is being made. All these issues are placed in an international context, where the development agenda is becoming more important and where the discussion on the renegotiation of the TRIPS has started. The contributors include leading members of the Chinese judiciary, as well as academics, politicians and practitioners from China, Europe and Canada. The approach taken to the subject combines academic rigorousness with political realism and the practical needs of operating an effective law enforcement and judicial system in a vast and rapidly developing country. This book will be warmly welcomed by IP academics and researchers, policy makers, R&D departments around the world and investors in China.

This book will be a useful resource for those studying or teaching the management of IP. . . a welcome addition on the reading list for all good IP management courses. Duncan Bucknell, Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice This book brings together innovative contributions on the management of intellectual property (IP) and intellectual property rights by an esteemed and multi-disciplinary group of economists, management scientists, accountants and lawyers. Offering a broad and enlightening picture of the measurement and management of IP, the contributors argue that the shift towards a knowledge-based economy has increased the importance of IP and more generally, intangible assets, as a focus for company decision-making behaviour. The book explores these intangible assets, which are driven by investments in R&D, marketing, education and training, management information systems and organizational structure. The inherent risk in the development of such assets born from the involvement of creativity and innovation is also discussed. The Management of Intellectual Property should prove of use to both students of management and managers in the field who have to make decisions with regard to investments in, and the protection of, IP and other intangible assets.