China has often been criticized for lacking sufficient protective measures and regulations in intellectual property (IP). But the country is working hard to show the problem is being addressed. 

The inaugural High-level Forum on China IP Protection was held in Beijing on Thursday. The forum focused on Internet copyright protection, artificial intelligence protection, and the economic contribution of intellectual properties. The China Intellectual Property News and World Intellectual Property Organization Office in China jointly hosted the event. 

State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) Commissioner Dr. Shen Changyu gave his welcoming remarks to nearly 500 attendees. He reassured everyone that the SIPO is working closely with concerned affiliates to combat IP infringement issues. He also stated that China has seen a steady improvement in regards to IP protection.

There have been more than 80,000 patent, trademark, or copyright administrative cases filed in China. 

Dr. Xu Zhihui, partner at BDL International Law Firm, said there has been a noticeable improvement in the industry.

"In the past you can see that in the market there were quite a lot of counterfeit products and a lot of infringement activities going on. Now authorities and the rights owners are trying to protect their own interests," said Dr. Xu.

Dr. Xu said companies should register trademarks prior to starting a business, and only once the business is up and running, to file for copyrights on any published or unpublished work. And if a company invents any new theories or devices, they should be diligent to file for a patents right away.

Meanwhile Dr. Xu says western firms looking to enter the Chinese market must be careful in naming their products in Chinese as Chinese people can be very crafty. Often infringement of trademarks starts with naming a product with similar sounding characters that are written differently. Dr. Xu said companies should be diligent in researching their competitors before entering the Chinese market. 

Internet IP law expert Chen Mingtao said copyright enforcement still severely lags in China. “Larger internet companies… all have their own legal departments,” he said. “But the notion is still lagging in small and medium sized firms… It’s almost impossible for them when the infringing parties are not punished enough,” he said.

“China still has a long way to go before it catches up with developed nations with mature legal systems.” 

The launch of IP Protection Awareness Week comes amid Beijing’s imposition of stricter copyright rules. With new technology coming out every year, better incentives and stronger protection must be implemented to encourage innovators to keep contributing to China’s internet-driven economy. 

‍China launches national copyright monitoring website‍