On December 11, SIPO, USPTO and other patent offices (Japan, EPO, Germany and Korea)  as well as companies and their counsel will be participating in an exciting international utility model program at the Changfugong Hotel in Beijing.  The free-of-charge program will cover both the protection and enforcement of UMP’s.  China’s UMP system has been the subject of some controversy due, in part, to its exponential growth, the vast predominance of Chinese ownership of UMP’s,  and the large damages that have sometimes been awarded in favor of Chinese patentees. This program will help shed light on the use (and abuse) of UMP’s, and compare China’s systems with those in other countries.