On May 15, 2020, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) published the “Plan for Further Implementation of the National Intellectual Property Strategy to Accelerate the Construction of an Intellectual Property Power Country by 2020.” The plan lists 100 points to accomplish the goal of becoming an “IP Power Country.” Some of the highlights include eliminating subsidies or rewards for utility model, design and trademark applications; reduce examination time for trademark and patent applications; reduce “abnormal” patent application filings and …
Category: Patents
China Launches “Iron Fist” Intellectual Property Law Enforcement Plan for 2020
China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) recently released its Intellectual Property Law Enforcement Action Plan for 2020 code-named “Iron Fist.” The key tasks of the plan include strengthening law enforcement for key commodities (e.g., anti-epidemic protective gear); strengthen law enforcement in physical marketplaces; strengthening enforcement in e-commerce; and strengthening law enforcement in the intellectual property application process (e.g., trademark application process). The plan also includes regional cooperation and information sharing with statistics collection.
Netac Wins Patent Infringement Case Against Micron for USB Drives
In a judgment dated April 26, 2020, the Beijing Intellectual Property Court ruled in favor of Netac Technology Co Ltd. against Micron Consumer Products Group, Inc. for patent infringement of CN1088218C. However, damages were only 500,000 RMB (about $70,500 USD) and no injunction was awarded as the patent expired. This contrasts with the recent ruling of 40 million RMB made in favor of Gree. The case # is （2017）京73民初323号 .
Guangdong Higher People’s Court Affirms 40 Million RMB Award on Utility Model Patent
In a decision released April 20, 2020, the Guangdong Higher People’s Court affirmed an award of 40 million RMB (about $5.6 million) including punitive damages to Zhuhai Gree Electric Appliance Co., Ltd. (hereinafter, Gree) in case no. （2020）粤执复117号. The defendant, Ningbo Aosheng Trading Co., Ltd. (hereinafter Aosheng), had appealed from a ruling by the Guangdong Intermediate People’s Court of Guangzhou that it infringed CN201242223Y for an indoor air conditioner. Several factors stand out about this judgement including the relatively high …