SIPO has released an English abridged version of the National IP Strategy Plans for 2013.

The Chinese plan was released March 21.

Here are some highlights:

Prepare a work plan for intellectual property in China’s Strategic and Emerging Industries.

Prioritize patent examination for industries such as clean energy.

Improve statistical reporting on copyright, and prepare a report on the contribution of the copyright industries to China’s economy.

Increase the numbers of basic courts hearing IP cases, the numbers of intermediate courts hearing patent cases, and the experiments in combining civil, criminal and administrative IP cases.

Promote openness in administrative proceedings with model rules.

Improve coordination between administrative and criminal enforcement.

Promote software legalization by the government and pre-installation of legal software.

Improve patent administrative enforcement.

Conduct preparatory work for China to join the Hague Convention on industrial designs.

Enhance the protection of geographical indications, including at the border.   Proceed with the negotiations of the Sino-European agreement on GI’s.

Develop access and benefit sharing rules for genetic resources.

Improving IP Management in national science and technology projects.

Develop new rules and practices for transgenic biotechnology, including new rules on IP protection.

Working to improve the situation for “haigui海归” (overseas students returning to China), particularly in the development of their indigenous IP (zizhu zhishichanquan自主知识产权).

A continuing effort on increasing IP talent in China, including a focus on textbooks for teaching the young, and new efforts to develop IP service professions, including new regulations on patent and trademark agents and law firms handling patent matters.

It has been five years since the National IP Strategy was initially announced.  SIPO will undertake commemoration and assessment projects this year.