At the 10th China Intellectual Property New Year Forum and the 2020 China Intellectual Property Managers Annual Meeting held in January 2020, the Patent and Trademark Law Office of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade was successfully selected as the “2019 China Outstanding Intellectual Property Service Team”. It has been successively awarded the Outstanding Intellectual Property Service Team several times. As a long-established intellectual property firm that has been operated for many years, the name of CCPIT Patent and Trademark Law Office is well-known among people working in the intellectual property field, and they used to call it “Patent and Trademark Office” affectionately. The CCPIT Patent and Trademark Law Office is one of the most historical and largest comprehensive intellectual property law firms in China. Its history can be traced back to 1957. Until the mid-1980s, it was the only trademark agency in China. The history of the Patent and Trademark Law Office is the epitome of the development of China’s intellectual property system, but also the history of the struggle of generations of the firm to cooperate and weave glory and dreams.
Patent and Trademark Law Office maintains close contact with several major intellectual property-related international organizations, such as the World Intellectual Property Organization, International Trademark Association, The International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI), and Licensing Executives Society (LES). The Secretariats of the China Branch of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights and the Chinese Association of Licensing Trade Workers both located in the Patent and Trademark Law Office. Patent and Trademark Law Office also keeps a close relationship with the related domestic intellectual property organizations such as the All-China Association of Patent Attorneys, China Trademark Association, and China Intellectual Property Research Society. The Secretariat of the Export Commodity Trademark Branch of China Intellectual Property Research Society was also set up in the Patent and Trademark Law Office. Therefore, the Patent and Trademark Law Office occupies a significant position in China’s intellectual property and the world. The reporter of China IP was very fortunate to interview such an outstanding team. Through the interview with the Vice Director of the Patent and Trademark Law Office Long Chuanhong, the reporter could feel the professionalism and dedication of the Patent and Trademark Law Office once again. Meanwhile, the strategic view advancing with the times, responsible awareness of leading the industry, and reputable customer service quality of the Patent and Trademark Law Office made the reporter feel profoundly inspired and moved.
Guarding wisdom, talents winning
Over the few decades of development and practice, the Patent and Trademark Law Office has accumulated rich experience and cultivated a team of practitioners with excellent professional skills in various fields of intellectual property protection. It is particularly worthy of proud that the Patent and Trademark Law Office actively promoted and participated in the establishment and development of the intellectual property system in China and cultivated a significant amount of talents for Chinese intellectual property career. Since working in the Patent and Trademark Office for more than twenty years, Vice Director Long Chuanhong has a deep understanding of this.
In 2019, under the influence of factors including the slowdown of growth of global macro-economy, and the intensification of Sino-U.S. trade frictions, the development of high-tech industries was confronted with adverse effects, including tariffs, market closures, and investment blockages. The demands of the intellectual property of Chinese enterprises overseas are inevitably being affected and brought uncertainties to the industry. Moreover, the industrial competition became increasingly intensive in the domestic market, and a few industry competitors gave up service quality and service conscience and engaged in a vicious competition in the industry. Along with the impact of “Internet+” to the industry, how to stabilize the existed customers, expand the customer group, cultivate and retain high-end professionals, and provide customers with high-end service with better quality are the main issues and challenges that the Patent and Trademark Law Office is confronted. However, the reporter has known from the Vice Director Long Chuanhong that under the difficult situation, during the past year, the business of the Patent and Trademark Law Office still steadily grows; the case amount and operation statistics are both very satisfying. Patent and Trademark Law Office undertook and successfully completed the research project of China Intellectual Property Research Association, which was “Research on the supervision and self-discipline of the trademark agency industry”. Meanwhile, they also actively participated in the related research project of China National Intellectual Property Administration and the China Trademark Association.
In addition to adhering to the historical heritage and cultural accumulation, the Patent and Trademark Law Office continuously cultivated high-quality talents, educated and provided a significant amount of outstanding talents for the law firm and Chinese intellectual property service industry. Meanwhile, the Patent and Trademark Law Office also sent several members to foreign universities, law firms, and companies to receive professional training and continuously invite well-known international lawyers to come to the law firm to communicate and deliver lectures. In the past year, the Patent and Trademark Law Office members published more than seventy professional journal articles in the Chinese and foreign authoritative journals. Through decades of exploration and summary, the Patent and Trademark Law Office have formed a seamless process management system and own a group of experienced procedural managers. In the past 2019, the Patent and Trademark Law Office has launched a new procedural management system, added an intelligent office system, and improved service levels in terms of software and hardware.
Simultaneously, a large number of outstanding typical cases represented by the Patent and Trademark Law Office emerged. For example, Grundfos Holdings, Grundfos pump (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. v. Anhui Grundfos equipment Co. Ltd. and Anhui Grundfos pump Co. Ltd. trademark infringement and unfair-competition case; “Dyneema and graph” trademark objection review administrative litigation retrial case; Knorrbrems v. Hengshui Yongxin brake materials Co. Ltd and other six defendants trademark infringement and unfair competition disputes. The “Dyneema and graph” trademark objection review administrative litigation retrial case was selected into the 2018 Annual Intellectual Property Trial Guidance Case and 2018 Annual Chinese Court Fifty Typical Cases. It was rated as the 2018-2019 Annual Outstanding Case by China Trademark Association. Canon Corporation v. Shanghai Muming Electronic Technology Co. Ltd. invention patent infringement dispute case was selected into the Chinese Court Fifty Typical Intellectual Property Cases; Knorrbrems sue Hengshui Yongxin brake materials Co. Ltd and six defendants trademark infringement and unfair competition dispute case was selected into the 2019 Chinese Court Fifty Typical Intellectual Property Cases.
Perfect service exploration, reasonable global layout
The Deputy Director Long Chuanhong especially emphasized that the service tenet of the Patent and Trademark Law Office is to always adhere to “Customer first and Quality first”, and provides high-quality and efficient services to customers. Through decades of hard work, the Patent and Trademark Law Office’s proud performance has won the trust of domestic and overseas customers. Patent and Trademark Law Office has established business partnerships with counterparts in more than a hundred countries globally. It can represent Chinese enterprises and individuals to apply for patents and register trademarks in China and other countries and regions worldwide.
In response to the ever-changing market circumstance, the Patent and Trademark Law Office, based on the existing developmental strategy, continues to improve and explore the internal operation and management system. On the one hand, they have paid more attention to domestic business, continuously provided high-quality express service for local customers through Shanghai Representative Office and Guangzhou Representative Office, and plan to establish a new Representative Office in Shenzhen. On the other hand, Patent and Trademark Law Office strengthens the diversified development of legal business, expands service chain, and provides comprehensive services in litigation and dispute resolution field.
In the past year, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Patent and Trademark Law Office actively assisted foreign enterprises layout of intellectual property rights in China and put significant effort into stabilizing foreign investment. They conducted an in-depth investigation to timely understand the intellectual property issues that domestic and foreign enterprises encountered, and actively making suggestions to the government administration department, and to improve the business environment; actively participate in promoting the “Belt and Road” national intellectual property protection and investment trade. During the period of the pandemic, the business of the Patent and Trademark Law Office remained stable. Even the domestic and foreign businesses were affected by the pandemic, there was still part of the business raised against the trend. Patent and Trademark Law Office thought that overall, investment towards intellectual property is a long-term investment; and intellectual property is the core competitiveness of enterprises. Therefore, enterprises would not abandon core intellectual property rights, which is related to development, and would not give up the enormous Chinese market; the pandemic will not substantially impact the Chinese intellectual property service industry. Definitely, among the short period, it could not be ruled out that a part of the enterprises would tighten the extent of investment in the area of the noncore intellectual property business.
Meanwhile, the Patent and Trademark Law Office will never forget to follow the nation’s strategy while completing the daily operative business, actively participate and provide public service. Furthermore, in conjunction with relevant departments to signed “Memorandum regarding strengthening Pudong new area (free trade pilot zone) intellectual property protection cooperation” with China (Pudong) intellectual property protection center. Patent and Trademark Law Office listed “CCPIT (Shanghai free trade zone) intellectual property dispute resolution and overseas right protection work station”. They actively carry out public welfare seminar for domestic enterprises, and strive to help enterprises to improve the ability of intellectual creation, utilization, protection, management and service, improve the efficiency pf enterprises utilizing intellectual property regulation and policy such as holding the Second Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Bay Area intellectual property protection and application exchange activities. CCPIT is the member institution of the national “Combat infringement and counterfeiting” working mechanism and State Council Intellectual Property Strategy Implementation Work Inter-Department Joint meeting. Patent and Trademark Law Office, as the Intellectual Property Service Department of CCPIT, also actively participates in various kinds of activities and play a positive role. Simultaneously, the Patent and Trademark Law Office values the platforms’ effect, including LES China Branch and AIPPI China Association, and conduct international communication, which contributed to the improvement of intellectual property international protection capacity of Chinese enterprises. In the future, the Patent and Trademark Law Office will continuously strengthen the work of international intellectual property association, positively participate in the constituting and coordinating of international regulations of intellectual property, actively hold and participate in intellectual property international conference, and improve its international influence and right to speak in the intellectual property field.
For the forty years of reform and opening, China’s intellectual property career has realized the fundamental transformation from scratch, from weak to strong. The extent of China’s intellectual property protection has been continuously strengthened, and the business environment has been continuously optimized, which provides powerful support for the innovative development of Chinese and foreign enterprises. With the protection of intellectual property rights, China has made great achievement in attracting foreign investment and promoting Chinese enterprises’ globalization. As one of the advocates, pioneers, and promoters of Chinese intellectual property career, the Patent and Trademark Law Office has a firm determination to further strengthen China’s intellectual property protection, and holds an open attitude towards strengthening the cooperation of intellectual property protection globally.
Global intellectual economy is developing with each passing day, and the process of globalization keeps accelerating, global attention towards intellectual property increasingly deepens. As a fundamental approach to developing and utilizing knowledge resources, intellectual property plays an increasingly significant role in implementing intellectual property strategies. These have provided a broader stage for the stable improvement of intellectual property service industry development and enhance intellectual property creation, operation, protection, and management. Meanwhile, the competition of intellectual property service industry is no longer limited to the domestic service institutions, but becomes globalized, which is caused by the coordination and application of global intellectual property regulations and globalization of intellectual property. Furthermore, the rapid progress of modern technologies such as artificial intelligence and 5G technology makes it a huge opportunity and challenge to protect customers’ business secrets strictly and, meanwhile, to effectively utilize the convenience brought by new technologies in the intellectual property service. Normalization of COVID-19 and uncertainties of international trade and investment also make intellectual property service institutions to consider how to control operating costs when providing quality services, thereby achieving a reasonable balance.
The current development direction is still based on China, and look at the world, supply comprehensive service for domestic and foreign enterprises seeking intellectual property protection in China. Patent and Trademark Law Office also provides escort for Chinese enterprises to go out to the world. In addition to Shanghai and Guangzhou, the Patent and Trademark Law Office also set up offices in New York, Silicon Valley, Tokyo, Munich, Madrid, and Hong Kong. Therefore, it provides a powerful guarantee for customer service in the relevant radiation areas.
Advance with the times and never forget the original intention
The in-depth integration of emerging technologies, including 5G, AI, and big data, has become a significant future development trend of the intellectual property industry. Patent and Trademark Law Office, which keeps up with the times, has conducted long-term informational construction in these fields, create efficient and secure remote office platform system, and ensures the offices can swiftly change the operating mode during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through formulating corresponding rules in terms of internal management, team cooperation, and data sharing. The Patent and Trademark Law Office can not only ensure that all of the staffs can complete the working tasks through remote office collaboration cooperatively and efficiently, but also participate in a cloud court trial for their represented clients at each level of the courts, and provide system-docking technical support. Furthermore, the office not only holds routinely business learning and communication through the approaches such as online meetings other forms, and also react to and follow up the needs of domestic and foreign customers and provide in-time law consultation and meeting discussion through apply and open various types of communication tools. It is worth noting that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Patent and Trademark Law Office becomes more active in communicating with customers and fully understanding customers’ expectations towards the service in this particular period. The office put their best effort to guarantee the customers’ satisfaction towards the service and provide suggestions for customers which are more in-time, comprehensive and professional, and consider customers’ benefits when processing specific business from multiple perspectives, including cost and efficiency.
This year, the continual external challenges are both a challenge and an opportunity for the Patent and Trademark Law Office. As one of the intellectual property agents established earliest in China with an enormous scale, the Patent and Trademark Law Office has demonstrated powerful strength to develop against the trend during each crisis in the past. Based on the brand advantages, professional quality, and capital accumulation of themself, the Patent and Trademark Law Office can overcome the uncertainties in business operation, seize the opportunities, and develop collaboratively with customers. Building an international first-class intellectual property law firm is the goal that the Patent and Trademark Law Office strive to achieve. The intellectual property service industry is an intelligence-intensity professional service industry, which has a very high requirement for the employees’ abilities and qualities. Patent and Trademark Law Office considers that as for intellectual property service organizations, the most significant challenge is cultivating and retaining high-end professionals and providing customers with services with higher quality.
Patent and Trademark Law Office has passed sixty-three years’ precious times; the original intention of “Guardian wisdom and create value” has been integrated into the blood of everyone working at Patent and Trademark Law Office. Along the way, people at the Patent and Trademark Law Office have passed on their careers and wrote with their owns hands the beautiful pages of protecting innovation, promoting the integration of technology and business, accelerating social development, and creating a better life.
With the fourth draft amendment of the copyright law in the National People’s Congress second review, a series of judicial interpretations involving intellectual property open for public comments, and the promulgation of Chinese civil code, it is foreseeable that the Chinese legal environment regarding intellectual property protection will become perfect increasingly. After experiencing a new round of reshuffle, the legal service industry will become stable and achieve growth, the future of the Patent and Trademark Law Office will be promising.
Despite whatever has achieved before, the Patent and Trademark Law Office will step ahead unswervingly like start from the very beginning. Each one working at the Patent and Trademark Law Office stays at the frontier of serving innovation subjects is the specific practitioner of the intellectual property system, but also responsible for promoting the rights of innovation, commercialization, and industrializing. Carrying the promising vision of future intellectual property career, Patent and Trademark Law Office is willing to move forward and will be full of passion with the diligence and dedication.
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