1. Liaoning
Dalian karaoke houses sing the blues and file appeal
Three karaoke houses in Dalian have been ordered to pay more than 45,000 yuan to Beijing Tianyu Tongsheng Information Technology Co Ltd for copyright infringement.
The Beijing firm, authorized to maintain copyrights for many digital music producers, filed the infringement complaint against the karaoke operators with a Dalian court earlier this year, claiming that unauthorized use of its portfolio of music videos "severely violated" the rights of copyrighters.
The company also asked that defendants be required to delete the infringing items from their playlist.
The defendants then lodged an appeal to a provincial court, which upheld the lower court decision.
2. Beijing
Protection vowed for Asian Games intellectual rights
Eight central government departments announced they will enhance protection of intellectual property related to the Asian Games to be held in Guangdong in November.
They include State-level administrations for patents, copyrights, industry and commerce, customs, public security, publicity, sports and prosecution.
The agencies said they will also use experience gained from the Beijing Olympic Games of last year and the ongoing Shanghai World Expo to enhance trans-regional cooperation and overhaul administrative procedures.
Professionals study new patent website functions
More than 60 managers and technology researchers from 10 industries participated in a three-day training program in July to teach skills needed in using a national patent data website that went online in February.
With a database of more than 33 million patents from around the world, the website carries documentation on the 10 industries listed as key sectors in national industrial development.
The database is expected to expand to more than 70 million entries on patent information by the end of the year, according to Gong Yalin, director-general of SIPO, Planning and Development Department.
Co-sponsored by the Sate Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the familiarization session was important for ongoing technological innovation, Gong said.
Daily visits to the website have risen an average of 470,000 since August.
3. Hunan
Recruitment of 100 IP academics planned
Three leading universities in the central province - Xiangtan, Central South and the namesake Hunan - are expected to recruit more than 100 postgraduates majoring in intellectual property in the second half of this year.
According to a provincial human resource development plan, intellectual property is one of four priority areas for training in Hunan over the next 10 years.
There are now some 150 postgraduates studying intellectual property in the province.
4. Shaanxi
Expo shows inventions to improve quality of rural life
More than 1,700 creations from across the nation were shown at a recent invention expo held in the provincial capital Xi'an.
As this year marks the 10th anniversary of the west development campaign, the three-day event highlighted agricultural innovations and technological solutions designed to improve life in rural areas.
A total of 165 local companies in the host province showcased 292 projects at the exhibition.
5. Guangdong
Customs unwinds counterfeit computer cable scheme
Gongbei customs in Zhuhai recently seized an intended shipment of 33,000 meters of fake Amp Netconnet computer cable. The items had been declared generic without a brand in export documents.
Because the trademark was kept on file with the General Administration of Customs for protection, Gongbei customs contacted the trademark holders to check the shipment, then seized it when products were found to be unauthorized.
(China Daily)
