This year's edition of Managing IP's annual publication focused on intellectual property in China comes at a time of great excitement but also tough challenges.
It is clear that improvements have been made. China has taken important steps to strengthen its IP system. For example, it has established dedicated IP courts and continues to open new tribunals. As this publication went to press, news emerged of big changes at the State Intellectual Property Office. Under the restructuring plan, SIPO will be responsible for facilitating the creation of an IP rights protection system, and the registration and administrative adjudication of trade marks, patents and geographical indications. This will combine the enforcement functions of trade marks and patents which have been separately managed.
Staying on top of IP trends in this rapidly-evolving market can be tough. I hope this publication will provide some help.
Over the following pages, you will learn about some of the most important topics in China IP at the moment. One piece looks at how the protection of IP rights in China is improving.
On the patent side, there are articles about priority in applications, prosecution guidelines, cases that have considered supplementary experimental data, infringement defences, sufficient disclosure at the Supreme Court, standard-essential patents, Taiwan's new patent linkage system, and remedies in the litigation process.
On the trade mark side, there are articles on original equipment manufacturer liability, coexistence agreements and combatting squatters.
On the copyright side, there is a piece looking at cybersquatting and domain names.
If you do business in China, I am sure you will find much worth reading in this Managing IP supplement, the full contents of which can also be found online at managingip.com/China2018.
Michael Loney
Managing editor
Managing IP
