Summary of Results of the Seminar on Intellectual Property Cooperation between the JPO and SIPO

December 24, 2008
Japan Patent Office

This is to report that the Japan Patent Office (JPO) and the State Intellectual Property Office of the People’s Republic of China (SIPO) jointly held the Seminar on Intellectual Property Cooperation on December 8, 2008, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the commencement of exchanging IP information between the Japanese and Chinese governments.

1. Background / Details

This year is the 30th anniversary of the commencement of exchanging IP information between patent-related government officials of Japan and China. It is also the 15th anniversary of the commencement of the JPO-SIPO Commissioners Meeting which started in 1994. The delegation consisting of the patent-related parties with Mr. Wu Heng, the Vice Chairman of the National Commission for Science and Technology, as the head of delegation visited Japan on December 8, 1978, to exchange views with the JPO; which was the commencement of the exchange between the JPO and SIPO. The two Offices and private sectors have been building a close cooperative IP relationship in terms of automation and human resource development, etc. Aiming at the continuation and development of a good IP relationship between the two countries, the JPO and SIPO agreed at the 14th JPO-SIPO Commissioners Meeting held in November 2007 that the Memorial Seminar and Symposium were to be held. According to this agreement, those speakers representing the IP fields in Japan and China gave speeches on the past Japan-China cooperation as well as on the future IP cooperation between the two countries.

2. Summary

In addition to the 30-year history of the cooperation between the JPO and SIPO, speeches were given by the JPO/SIPO Offices, industrial circles, IP experts, etc. in terms of the expectation for future Japan-China cooperation. Approximately 120 persons from the JPO/SIPO Offices and IP-related organizations participated.

Name:　The JPO-SIPO Joint Seminar on Intellectual Property Cooperation -On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of JPO-SIPO exchange

Organizer:　The Japan Patent Office (JPO)

The State Intellectual Property Office of the People’s Republic of China (SIPO)

Date / Venue:　December 8, 2008 (Mon.) / Invention Hall in the JIII(*) Building(* Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation)

Japanese Representatives (Order of speeches)

• Mr. Takashi Suzuki, Commissioner, JPO
• Mr. Yuji Kiyokawa, President, Japan-China Economic Association (Former Commissioner of JPO)
• Mr. Shinjiro Ono, Partner/Patent Attorney representing the Patent Division of Yuasa and Hara (Law and Patent Firm) (Former Deputy Commissioner of JPO)
• Mr. Kazuo Seki, Senior Director, JPO (Panel Discussion Coordinator)

Chinese Representatives (Order of speeches)

• Mr. Tian Lipu, Commissioner, SIPO
• Mr. Gao Lulin, Honorary Chairman, All China Patent Attorney Association
  (Former Commissioner of Chinese Patent Office, First Commissioner of SIPO)
• Ms. Wang Xiaohui, Deputy Director General, International
  Cooperation Department, SIPO
• Ms. Feng Xiaobing, Deputy Director General, Development and Research Center, SIPO

3. Summary of Results

• i) Opening the Seminar, Commissioner SUZUKI and Commissioner TIAN respectively gave speeches. SUZUKI referred to the JPO-SIPO cooperation in strengthening work-sharing, patent quality/harmonization and human infrastructure, as the future cooperation issues between Japan and China, in order to advance the innovation that will create the foundation of economic development between the two countries. In addition to commenting on the importance of the cooperation with Japan in terms of establishing an IP system in China, TIAN showed his expectation for cooperatively enhancing the strategic reciprocity relationship even further between the two countries.
• ⅱ）President KIYOKAWA mentioned that the dissemination of IP education and the IP right system are important for enhancing the protection of the IP rights between Japan and China. Honorary chairman GAO introduced the results that have been achieved in human resources development, automation, and the improvement of the legal systems through the past cooperation between both Offices. Patent attorney ONO indicated that for users of IP systems in Japan and China, the two Offices should cooperatively work on the harmonization of systems/forms and the improvement of access to IP information and mentioned the importance of stable rights. Deputy Director General FENG mentioned the expectation of harmonization of systems/operations and the promotion of cooperation for automation such as data exchanges and machine translation in connection with the increase of examination burdens faced by both Offices and with the construction of informatization.
• ⅲ）In the later panel discussion, where 4 speakers who were mentioned inmentioned in ⅱ）were the panelists, were the panelists, a discussion was held about “expectations for cooperation between both Offices” taking into consideration the position of involved parties in the past cooperation between Japan and China and the position of the industries of Japan and China. It was also mentioned that the opinions of Japanese industry included expectations for the dissemination of the importance of IP in educational institutions and for the continuation of returns to the private sectors for results achieved from the exchanges between the governments.

［Last updated 16 February 2024］

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