Annual Technical Report 2008 on Industrial Design Information Activities submitted by China (SCIT/ATR/ID/2008/CN)
Where URLs are requested below, it is preferred that either URLs which are likely to remain stable over time (three years or more) are provided, or home (main) page URLs are provided with a short explanation of how to access the corresponding information.
The expression "industrial designs" covers industrial designs and models. Offices which issue design patents should report their design patent information activities in this series of Annual Technical Reports.
I. Evolution of registration activities
Changes experienced in terms of application filings and grants (registrations) with respect to the previous year
In 2008, SIPO received 312,904 design applications, a 17.0% increase compared to 2007, while designs granted were 141,601, with a 5.8% increase.
Trends or areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year
No statistics.
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide statistics related to industrial designs
Chinese：http://www.sipo.gov.cn/sipo2008/tjxx/
English：http://www.sipo.gov.cn/sipo_English/statistics/
II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, and distribution of industrial design documents and of secondary sources of industrial design information, i.e., official gazettes
Publishing, including printing, copying techniques and electronic printing
Nowadays, SIPO not only promotes the electronic publication of patent information on the Internet, but also keeps the traditional medium of paper. In these two ways, we provide patent information to government agencies, research institutions, industry and the general public.
Main types of announcements of the Office in the field of industrial design information
Patent gazettes for designs
Patent gazettes for designs are published in paper and PDF formats once a week with the bibliographic data, images, legal status, indexes, etc.
Design patent offprint
Design patent offprint is printed by color digital printing technology, and published together with the gazettes once a week.
Certificates of design patents
Certificates for design patents and their duplicate copies are issued periodically.
Mass storage media and microforms used
The above-mentioned documents are stored in the medium of DVD.
Databases and office automation
The Design Image Database is set up to provide search service for examiners, which can also be accessible on the official website.
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide access to online industrial design gazettes and to other sources of industrial design information, including download of bulk industrial design data
Patent gazette: http://www.sipo.gov.cn/sipo2008/zwgs/zlgb/
Search system: http://www.sipo.gov.cn/sipo2008/zljs/
III. Matters concerning classifying, reclassifying and indexing of industrial design information according to the classification systems applied
Classification and reclassification activities; Classification system used, e.g., International Classification for Industrial Designs (Locarno Classification), other classification (please indicate whether industrial designs are classified by your Office and, if so, which classification is used)
Design patents are classified according to the International Classification for Industrial Designs (Locarno Classification) without using any other classification systems.
Reclassification activities are not developed.
Bibliographic data and processing
The bibliographic data of design patents granted since 1985 and design applications since 1998 are provided.
Furthermore, the images of designs since 1998 are scanned and stored in the divided image form, the image characteristic values of which are extracted and stored in the design image database for graphic element search.
IV. Search file establishment and upkeep
File building
The processed data of designs (see part III "Bibliographic data and processing") are added to the search file, which can be retrievable by examiners of SIPO from the design search database.
Updating
The search file is updated weekly or every two weeks.
Storage, including mass storage media
The above-mentioned file is stored in magnetic disk arrays and backuped with magnetic tapes.
Documentation from other offices maintained and/or considered part of the available search file
No activities.
V. Activities in the field of computerized search systems for industrial designs
In-house systems (online/offline)
Design Image Database
The bibliographic data of designs granted since 1985 and image data since 1998 are included in this database. It provides with search entries of bibliographic data and graphic element search function. Examiners can access the system by B/S to retrieve the desired information.
External databases
No activities.
Administrative management systems (e.g., register, legal status, statistics and administrative support)
Electronic Filing System (EFS)
SIPO launched the EFS in 2004 in order to provide online filing for applicants.
China Patent Management System Ⅲ（CPMSⅢ）
CPMSⅢ is the core supporting system for the electronic workflow management. It is provided with the functions of monitoring time limits, status and fees of patent applications, information inquiry and statistics. It also helps formality examiners to complete all kinds of notifications, offers all necessary sheet templates, and standardizes the workflow.
Computer Aided Examination System
The system includes patent examination subsystem for designs, which offers step by step examination procedures and assists the examiners to complete the examination, so as to provide the intelligent examination tool for the examiners.
China Patent Electronic Examination System
The system will provide a full electronic environment for patent examination, which can avoid the transfer of paper files internally in order to enhance the efficiency and quality of patent examination. In 2008, the system was launched to develop.
Equipment used (hardware, including the types of terminal and network used, and software), data carriers used
Examiners can access the Intranet with 10Gbps core switch and 100Mbps link to desktops for the network resources.
VI. Administration of industrial design information products and services available to the public (relating to facilities, e.g., for lodging applications, registering designs, assisting clients with search procedures, obtaining official publications and registry extracts)
Planning, administration, automation, security
The public services provided by SIPO include:
Call center
The center offers information consultation to the public free of charge by face-to-face, telephone, online and mail.
Official website
The official website of SIPO offers search and inquiry services. The experimental platform of patent information services on the website collects China designs since 1985.
Local Patent Information Center (LPIC)
SIPO has set up 47 local patent information centers across the country and provided them with patent data. The centers provide search and inquiry services for the public.
In 2008, SIPO equiped its patent full-text databases and unified hardware for 38 local information centers, and promoted the training of patent information services to the local personnel.
Patent Documentation Library
Patent Documentation Library is the national patent documentation and information service center. The library offers documents reading, inquiry, search, replication and training services to the public.
Local Patent Receiving Offices
SIPO has set up Local Patent Receiving Offices in 24 cities all over the country in order to accept design applications and provide inquiry service for the public.
Security
At present, SIPO uses domain-control to control the terminal access, and uses the virus defense mechanism to avoid the virus attack. Besides, the reasonable configuration of the DMZ switch, IPS, firewall and other hardwares in the whole system also improves the security capability of the network information system.
Collection management, preservation
SIPO has collected 40 kinds of design information products from 25 patent organizations including gazettes, gazette indexes and image specifications in the mediums of paper and DVD, as well as domestic and foreign books and periodicals.
Information services available to the public (including computerized services and search files contained in libraries remote from your Office and industrial design information posted by your Office on the World Wide Web)
Information Products
"China Patent Specification" optical disk, which collects images of designs since 1998.
"China Patent Abstract Databases" optical disk, which collects nearly 3.37 million pieces of patents information (including inventions, utility models and designs) since 1985. The information of each piece includes the bibliographic data, such as the inventor, publication date, abstract, priority, legal status, etc.
"China Patent gazette" optical disk, which provides gazettes information weekly.
"Design" optical disk, which covers the images of designs since 1998, using electronic scanning technology to present the images in line, gray-scale and color. http://www.sipo.gov.cn/sipo2008/xxcp/zlwxgp/200804/t20080407_370310.html
SIPO also offers electronic patent gazettes on its official website: http://www.sipo.gov.cn/sipo2008/zwgs/zlgb/
Search services
SIPO offers the following search systems on its official website for the public to retrieve designs:
Patent search http://www.sipo.gov.cn/sipo2008/zljs/
Experimental Platform of Patent Information Services: http://pub.cnipr.com/pubpisfts/common/page.do?method=cnSearch.
URLs of web pages of the Office's website for electronic filing of industrial design applications
SIPO provides the following website for the online filing http://www.cponline.gov.cn/
English website to provide illustration for the online filing http://www.sipo.gov.cn/sipo_English/application/
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide information on business procedures such as: filing, publication, examination and registration procedures related to industrial designs; opposition and appeal procedures related to industrial designs; etc.
Chinese
http://www.sipo.gov.cn/sipo2008/zlsqzn/sqq/
English http://www.sipo.gov.cn/sipo_English/about/examinationAffairs/200707/t20070719_178234.htm
http://www.sipo.gov.cn/sipo_English/about/examinationAffairs/200707/t20070719_178239.htm
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide a description of information products and services offered by the Office (e.g., industrial design search service(s) and industrial design databases), as well as information on how to access and utilize them
See "Information service available to the public".
VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of industrial design documentation and information
International or regional cooperation in the exchange of industrial design information, e.g., in the form of official gazettes
By 2008, SIPO has collected 40 kinds of industrial design information products from 25 patent organizations, including gazettes and specifications in the forms of paper and DVD.
Exchange of machine-readable information, e.g., data contained on CD-ROM or magnetic tape
By 2008, in the medium of DVD, SIPO has mutually sent official specifications including images of designs to 23 authorities, official gazettes including electronic images of designs to 19 authorities.
VIII. Matters concerning education and training, including technical assistance to developing countries (please indicate URLs of web pages of the Office’s website wherever appropriate)
Promotional activities (seminars, exhibitions, visits, advertising, etc.)
In March, an IP seminar on SMEs in China, Japan and Korea was held in Tokyo with some 40 participants.
In May, SIPO and IPOM jointly organized the China-Mongolia Intellectual Property Enforcement Seminar in Nanjing, during which the photo exhibition titled Mongolia-A Country of Dream was also held.
In May, the helpdesk of SIPO and Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) formally started operation in Singapore.
From May 8 to 9, SIPO and WIPO jointly organized the Second Symposium for Heads of Intellectual Property Academies in Beijing. Twenty-nine representatives from 17 countries, regions and international organizations including WIPO, USPTO, JPO and EPO attended the symposium. The symposium approved Beijing Action Plan, solidifying the communication platform of Worldwide Academy Net.
In June, SIPO, African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) and WIPO jointly organized the first Workshop for Heads of Intellectual Property Offices in Beijing.
In 2008, US Chamber of Commerce, American Chamber of Commerce in China, United States International Trade Commission, Intellectual Property Owners Organization of the United States, American Bar Association, IBM, Microsoft, Apple, Intel and many other delegations visited the office to exchange views on relevant IP issues. Five technical presentation seminars were held with Nissan, Olympus, EPSON (China), Battery R&D Association of Korea and LG Display Inc. respectively, updating SIPO examiners with latest developments in technical fields, which would refresh their knowledge and increase examination quality.
In 2008, SIPO held 99 face-to-face training seminars with the attendance of 10,400 trainees, among which there were 10 international training seminars with the attendance of 379 trainees, including "WIPO-SIPO Academy on Intellectual Property for Decision Makers” “Senior Seminar on Asian Regional Intellectual Property System”, and legal training with the John Marshall Law School and Benjamnin N.Cardozo School of Law，Yeshiva University.
Every year, SIPO organizes several international symposia and seminars together with WIPO and EPO. The speakers and trainees have given their lectures or have been trained in SIPO from more than 50 international organizations and countries like WIPO, ARIPO, EPO, etc. SIPO also received 170 foreign visitors from international organizations and foreign countries, such as EPO, IP Office of UK, Canadian IP Office, IP Australia, etc.
In national IP training and advertising aspects, SIPO completed 7 training seminars for IP professionals. About 1,174 persons were trained, including 2 sessions of new examiner training seminars for about 439 trainees between May and December, 5 training seminars for 560 local officials in IP and 4 training seminars for about 500 patent agents.
SIPO held 2 training seminars for western region, respectively 9th Training Seminar on IP in Tibet and Training Seminar for Enterprises in Western Region for about 220 trainees.
SIPO has co-organized 30 seminars and symposia with 32 other organizations for 3,600 people, for instance, the Symposium on Amendment of the Patent Law and Trademark Law with the Chinese Academy of Social Science, the Advanced Seminar on the IP Judicial Protection with Beijing First Intermediate Court, Training Seminar for Judges at Basic – level with the Supreme People’s Court and LL,M program with China University of Political Science and Law, etc.
Training courses for national and foreign participants
In 2008, the number of trainees reached 34,000 and increased by 62% over 2007.
Since recognized by WIPO as a partner of the WIPO network of intellectual property international training institutes and obtained WIPO Citation for Excellence in Intellectual Property Training, SIPO has made new achievements in international cooperation under a great diversity of programs. In 2008, SIPO actively conducted external training and teaching activities, completing 27 external training courses covering examination practice and general administration and preliminarily formed an external training course system. Besides, SIPO also worked with WIPO to provide DL101 course. By the year of 2008, 19 sessions of DL 101 course have been opened and about 7,000 trainees studied the course.
Since the Platform of China Long-distance Learning in IP was put into use in 2002, SIPO has opened 35 sessions. 50,000 trainees studied IP through the long-distance learning program. 3 sessions of courses were opened in 2008, mainly including –Basic Knowledge on IP laws, Patent Documentation and Searching, International IPR Protection, and Industrial designs, etc. 18,782 students took the course.
Assistance to developing countries (sending consultants and experts, receiving trainees from developing countries, etc.)
In 2008, SIPO established a special fund for training of IP talents in developing countries for the first time, conducting multiple training activities towards developing countries including examiners from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Patent Office, NOIP and DPRK Invention Office. SIPO also used Asia Regional Cooperation Fund and China-ASEAN Cooperation Fund to train more than 40 representatives from Asian countries and organizations.
IX.Other general information related to the Office that is available on the Internet -- URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that:
provide information on legislation related to industrial designs
Chinese：http://www.sipo.gov.cn/sipo2008/zcfg/
Chinese：http://search.sipo.gov.cn/sipo/zljs/searchflzt.jsp
English：http://www.sipo.gov.cn/sipo_English/laws/
contain the Annual Report of the Office
Chinese：http://www.sipo.gov.cn/sipo2008/gk/
English：http://www.sipo.gov.cn/sipo_English/laws/
if necessary, provide further information related to the topics referred to in the current ATR
Chinese：http://www.sipo.gov.cn
English：http://www.sipo.gov.cn/sipo_English/
provide open source codes related to industrial design information systems
No activities.
contain industrial design-related news regarding the Office
Chinese：http://www.sipo.gov.cn/
English：http://www.sipo.gov.cn/sipo_English/news/