International Activities

　　The Asia PJ East Asia WG sent a 6-person delegation led by Vice President Mr. Bekku (Nissan), to China from March 18 to 24, 2018. The delegation members visited IP-related agencies and exchanged opinions with them on JIPA's requests and views.

　　In the opinion exchange with the Economic Law Department, Legislative Affairs Commission, a legislative body under the Standing Committee of National People's Congress, JIPA explained, regarding the Chinese Patent Law, which the Chinese government is working on revising, the significance and importance of the partial design system, which is controversial in the government as to whether the system should be newly included in the draft revision. The delegation also introduced other requests on the draft revision of the Patent Law. This was JIPA's second visit to the Standing Committee of National People's Congress continuing from the last year, in which the participants again exchanged opinions amicably and promised to have another meeting on a visit to Japan by members of the Economic Law Department scheduled for September.

　　At the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO), the delegation introduced JIPA's requests and frankly exchanged opinions on the introduction of a system for filing an application in foreign languages, the introduction of a system for the deferral of publication of design gazettes, and the relaxation of various requirements for filing a request for PPH. The delegation requested these matters reflected in the revision of subordinate rules planned after the revision of the Patent Law, such as Implementing Regulations of the Patent Law and the Guidelines for Patent Examination.

　　At the National Copyright Administration, the delegation exchanged views on the provision of the restriction of rights, the provision of penalties for infringement, etc., in a draft revision of the Copyright Law which the government is working on revising, as the Patent Law.
　　In the meeting with Professor Li Mingde, chief of the IP law department in the Chinese Academy of Social Science, which is an official think tank of the Chinese government, the delegation members asked about, for example, the impact of the following announcements on the revision of laws and practice: the statement on IP lawsuits published by the General Office of the Communist Party of China immediately before the delegation's visit to China, the organizational reform of the Chinese government announced by the National People's Congress, and the 2018 legislative plans released by the State Council.

　　The delegation also had a meeting in JETRO Beijing to exchange views on how to continue with JIPA's activities to submit requests to the country. The members then visited five patent attorney's or legal offices (King & Wood Mallesons, Liu Shen & Associates, East & Concord Partners, Zongzi Law Office, and CCPIT) where they introduced JIPA's activities and exchanged opinions on the revision of the Patent Law, the reform of governmental organizations, etc.