中国法院知识产权司法保护状况英文本.docx

中国法院知识产权司法保护状况英文本.docx

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中国法院知识产权司法保护状况英文本

中国法院知识产权司法保护状况（2009）（英文本）

（IntellectualPropertyProtectionbyChineseCourtsin2009）

1.　　　　ThispaperispublishedinbothChineseandEnglish.TheChineseversionshallbetheauthoritativeversionforthepurposeofinterpretation.

2.　　　　Asapublicationforthefirsttime,thisPaperincludesabriefintroductionofintellectualpropertyprotectioninChinainthelast30years.　

Content

Introduction

I.　　　　　　　　　　FairandEfficientAdjudicationofIntellectualPropertyCasesAccordingtoLawhasMadetheJudicialSystemaLeadingForceinIntellectualPropertyProtection

II.　　　　　　　　JudicialProtectionforIntellectualPropertyhasServedtheNeedsofSocioeconomicDevelopmentandhasObservedandDeliveredtheNationalIntellectualPropertyStrategy

III.　　　　　　EnhancedJudicialSupervisionandGuidancehasCreatedGreaterConsistencyinAdjudicationPracticesandDecision-Making

IV.　　　　　　　　CapacityBuildingforIntellectualPropertyJudgeshasImprovedJudicialCompetenceandQuality

Conclusion

IntellectualPropertyProtection

byChineseCourtsin2009

Introduction

ThePeople’sCourtsaretheStatejudicialauthorityforintellectualproperty（IP）protection,whichindependentlyexerciseadjudicativepowersaccordingtotheConstitutionandthelaw.

China’sreformandopening-up（gaigekaifang）hasspurredthedevelopmentofintellectualpropertysincethelate1970sandearly1980s.BeinganationalandPartypriority,andbuttressedbystrongsocialsupportanddiligentjudges,judicialprotectionofintellectualpropertyinChinesecourtshasgerminatedandgrown.ThecurrentcomprehensivejudicialintellectualpropertyprotectionregimeembodiestheidealsofsocialismwithChinesecharacteristics,embracesthecountry’sdevelopmentneeds,observesChina‘sdutiesunderinternationalconventions.ItisanessentialpartofChina’sjudicialarchitecture.

Inthelast30years,thePeople’sCourtshave:

––––Expandedtheirfunctionsandpowersinintellectualpropertyprotection

ThePeople’sCourtsprovidedjudicialprotectionforintellectualpropertythroughcivil,administrativeandcriminalprocedures.

Civiladjudicationhadbegunincludingcasesrelatingtotechnologycontractstowardtheendofthe1970s.Trademark,patentandcopyrightcaseswereaddedduringthemid1980s,andunfaircompetitiondisputesintheearly1990s.ThePeople’sCourtshadreceivedmanyfilings,andhadrendereddecisionsforasmanyas166,408IP-relatedcasesbetween1985and2009.

Intermsofadministrativeadjudicativeduties,thePeople’sCourtshavebeengiventhemandatetohandlepatentsuitsagainstthePatentRe-examinationBoardsince1985.Hence,Chinesecourtsareresponsibleforconductingjudicialreviewsforintellectualpropertyadministrativeenforcementdisputesandcasesrelatingtograntingorvalidationofpatentortrademark.Between1985and2009,thelocalPeople’sCourtshavealtogetherconcluded6387IP-relatedadministrativecasesoffirstinstance.

Sincetheimplementationofthe1979CriminalLaw,thePeople’sCourtswereabletoofferprotectionagainstcriminalviolationsofregisteredtrademarkrightsundertheLaw.The1997AmendmentoftheCriminalLawfurtherenhancesjudicialpowersincriminalprotectionagainstviolationofthevariousintellectualpropertyrights,includingtheimpositionofseverepunishmentagainstseriousviolationsofintellectualpropertyrights,suchascounterfeitandpiracy.FollowingtheJudicialInterpretationConcerningtheAdjudicationofCasesInvolvingInfringementofIntellectualPropertyRightsjointlyissuedbytheSupremePeople’sCourtandtheSupremePeople’sProcuratorateattheendof2004,thenumberofIP-relatedcriminalcasesadmittedanddecidedbythecourtsincreasedsubstantially;between1997and2009,14,509IP-relatedcriminalcasesoffirstinstanceweredecidedbythecourts.

––––Enlargedthescopeofjudicialprotectionforintellectualproperty

Themid-1990swasaturningpointintermsofthegeneralnatureofintellectualpropertycasesreceivedbythecourts.Beforethemid-1990s,thecasesrelatedmainlytotechnologycontracts.Fromthatperiodonwardsanduntil2002,patentcaseswerepredominant.Andsince2002,copyrightcasesrepresentthelargestcaseload.

BesidescateringtothegeneralspeedyriseintraditionalIPcaseloadinvolvingcopyright,patents,trademarks,unfaircompetition&technologycontracts,judicialprotectionexpandedtoaddressemergingissuessuchascopyrightontheinternet,computersoftware,newplantvarieties,layout-designs（topographies）ofintegratedcircuits,folkliterature&art,geographicalindications,specialsigns,corporatenames,domainnames,judicialrecognitionofwell-knownmarks,non-materialculturalheritage,franchise,applicationforpre-trialprovisionalmeasures,declarationofnon-infringement,andanti-monopoly.Amongthose,casesrelatingtocopyrightinfringementsontheinternethavebeenswiftlyontherise.ThePeople’sCourtshavehandledcasesinvolvingallcategoriesofintellectualpropertyandmanydifferenttypesofcompetitivebehaviour,rangingfromthecreation,use,protection,tothemanagementofintellectualproperty.

Thejudicialchannelisbecomingtheprimarymeansofintellectualpropertydisputeresolution.Forexample,tosettlepatentdisputes,mostpatentownerswouldchoosetofileacivilsuitwiththePeople’sCourtsdirectly,insteadofusingadministrativemeans.

––––Increasedthelevelofjudicialprotectionforintellectualproperty

Thequalityandefficiencyofjudicialdecisionsoncasesrelatingtointellectualpropertyhaveimprovedovertheyears.Theclearancerateoffirstinstancecivilintellectualpropertycasesincreasedfrom75.35%in2003to85.35%in2009.Appealsfellfrom59.38%in2003to48.82%in2009.Likewise,casesremandedordecisionsreversedatthesecondinstancereducedfrom15.19%in2003to6.00%in2009,andretrialsfellfrom0.80%in2003to0.33%in2009.

Courtmediationhasalsoproventobeaneffectivemeansofdisputesettlement.Inrecentyears,morethan50%,ontheaverage,ofintellectualpropertycivilcasesweresettledthroughcourtmediationatfirstinstance.

Atthesametime,thePeople’sCourtshavebuiltarespectedinternationalreputationfortheirfairandequitabletreatmentofallpartiesincasesinvolvingforeignlitigants.

Judicialtransparencyisprogressivelyimproving.ThePeople’sCourtsadopttheprincipleofjudicialopenness,andeffectivecourtjudgementsanddecisionsaswellasjudicialinformationaredisseminatedviathemedia,internet,publicationsandothervehiclesaccordingtolaw.On10March2006,theSupremePeople’sCourtformallylaunchedawebsiteon“ChinaIPRJudgments&Decisions”,acentralisedopenlibraryofjudgementsanddecisionsrenderedbythePeople’sCourtsofdifferentlevels.

––––　Enhancedtheeffectivenessofjudicialprotectionforintellectualproperty

ThePeople’sCourtshaveimposedseverepenaltiesforinfringementsasprovidedbylaw,soastolowerthecostofprotection,andincreasethecostofinfringement.

Forvalidinfringementclaims,infringerswouldbeorderedtoceaseanddesist,andwouldbeexposedtodamagesawardedagainstthemthatsufficientlycompensatetheaggrievedparty’slosses.Also,theburdenofproofforarightholderisreducedasappropriate,accordingtolaw.Recently,duringthelastinstanceofthepatentinfringementcaseofWuhanJingyuanEnvironmentalEngineeringCo.,Ltd.（“WJC”）v.FujikasuiEngineeringCo.,LtdandHuayangElectricCo.,Ltd,theSupremePeople’sCourtfoundinfavouroftheplaintiff,andorderedthetwodefendantstopayWJCRMB50.6124millionyuan（USD7.42million）indamages.ThiswasthehighestdamagesawardevermadebytheSupremePeople’sCourtforinfringementofintellectualpropertyright.

Inaddition,thePeople’sCourtshavetakenaprudentyeteffectiveapproachtousingpre-trialprovisionalmeasures,andhaveimposedcivilsanctionsoninfringementaccordingtolaw.Between2002and2009,atotalof808applicationsforpre-trialpreliminaryinjunctioninIP-relatedcaseswereadmittedbylocalcourts,84.18%weregrantedapproval;1312applicationsforpre-trialpreservationofevidencewereadmitted,93.72%weregrantedapproval,527applicationsforpre-trialpreservationofpropertywereadmitted,96.04%weregrantedapproval.

CriminalsanctionsareanimportantmeansofprotectingintellectualpropertybythePeople’sCourts.Besidesimposingprincipalpunishmentsandregulatingtheuseofprobation,otherpunitivemeasuresthatincludetheimpositionandenforcementofheaviercriminalfines,recoveryofcriminalproceeds,seizureofcriminaltools,destructionofinfringinggoods,orderingpaymentofdamages,arealsomeanstodepriveperpetratorsofthefinancialcapacitytorepeattheoffence.

––––　Improvedthejudicialsysteminintellectualpropertyprotection

Since1985,theSupremePeople’sCourthaspublished41judicialinterpretationsrelatingintellectualpropertyrights,29ofwhicharecurrentlyinforce.Morethan40judicialguidancedocuments（zhidaoxingwenjian）thathelpedinstructthelowercourtswerealsoissued.Especiallysince2000,inlinewithChina’saccessiontotheWorldTradeOrganisationandtoservethecountry’sneedtobuildan“innovation-basednation”,theSupremePeople’sCourthasissued25IP-relatedjudicialinterpretations.IssuanceandimplementationofjudicialinterpretationsandguidancedocumentshaveprovidedthePeople’sCourtswithmoreconcretesubstantiveandproceduralbasesonwhichtheyrelyforadjudicationofintellectualpropertycases.Asaresult,thejudicialsystemhascontinuedtoseeprogress.

Thejurisdicti