he Supreme People’s Court issued a draft of a second draft judicial interpretation on plant varieties for public comment on March 23, 2021. Comments are due April 15, 2021.
New Draft JI on Plant Variety Protection Open for Comment
Mark Cohen （柯恒）
Mark Allen Cohen （柯恒} is a Distinguished Senior Fellow and Director of the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also a Guest Professor at Renmin University, China. He has served as the Senior Counsel, China for the USPTO. Formerly, he was Director of International Intellectual Property Policy at Microsoft Corporation. Prior to that time he was Of Counsel to Jones Day's Beijing office. Before then, he served as Senior Intellectual Property Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and as Attorney-Advisor in the Office of International Relations at USPTO. In total, he has nearly 30 private, public sector, in house and academic experience on IPR issues in China. This is his private blog. This blog represents the opinions of the author(s) only, and should not be construed as the position of any employer, client, or other party, including (and especially) the US government.
USTR and Restructuring China IP Policy
What are the priorities for USTR in engaging China on IP issues? Will USTR reach out to other agencies to build an informed and efficient process to bear on Chinese and IP and tech issues? There are many built-in impediments in the US government structures to making that reality possible.
Recent Recordings and Upcoming Programs
Here is a listing of recordings of some recent programs that are now available as well as a listing of upcoming events. The Third Berkeley-Tsinghua Conference on Transnational IP Litigation was held […]
A Season of CNIPA Rulemaking
Several new rules from China’s State Administration for Market Regulation portend a more active role for administrative enforcement of patents, in both patent linkage and major disputes affecting Chinese national interests. How much due process do these rules afford? Are they compatible with the TRIPS Agreement? Will foreigners be treated fairly? Will the administrative agencies be transparent in their decisions and make their cases publicly available. SAMR’s database of IP cases is also relatively new.
There are a number of open issues.
Chinese TM and Design Filings in Europe Showing Continued Positive Trends
EUIPO has issued a report “China EUTM and RCD Focus” on 10 years of China trademark (TM) and registered community design (RCD) filings in the EU. The report also details the impact […]
China’s Evolving Case Law On ASI’s
Notwithstanding China’s civil law tradition, China’s use of anti-suit injunctions (ASI’s) in FRAND disputes has begun to be selected for adoption into the body of “typical cases” 典型案例 that may be referred […]
NSCAI Report Released
The National Security Commission Report on Artificial Intelligence has been released. Chapter 12 covers IP-related issues, focusing on China. The report calls for greater interagency coordination, more stability in patent-eligible subejct matter, and a critical view of China’s SEP-contributions.
The SPP’s Increasing Role In Protecting IP
China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate has set up a specialized IP office, with several local counterpart offices. Trade secret prosecution is a focus. 23,000 cases were prosecuted in the last five years.
Still Time to Register…
A forthcoming lecture by Mark Cohen on Weaponization of Intellectual Property Against China at UCSD.
Patent Litigation, IP Monetization and Technology Decoupling: Lessons for the Future
Even during a time of trade conflict, there was considerable litigation and patent licensing activity with China, including a pronounced role in global markets for Chinese companies and in China for US companies. Patent disputes and licensing involved a diverse group of technologies. Chinese companies have become more active in SEP litigation overseas. The United States is an important venue for litigating overseas patent disputes with Chinese entities. Both the patent licensing and pharma data show the importance of tracking market value and trends to determine the real-world impact of IP-related policies.
