Booming Beijing IP court adds tech research team

A technology research team to assist judges hearing a surge in complex intellectual property disputes was established today in Beijing to help ensure more professional verdicts.

The first batch of 64 researchers was assigned to the Beijing Intellectual Property Court. The researchers included 27 specialists from universities and academic institutes who specialize in industries such as telecommunications, chemicals and computers, the court said.

Their job is to help judges understand the complicated evidence of their assigned cases.

"Some IP disputes are oriented to specific professions. It means judges must have enough knowledge of the professional industries if they want to handle the cases accurately and professionally," said Chen Jinchuan, the court's deputy president.

The tech team will help carry out judicial reforms dictated by China's central leadership in 2013, and improve judicial efficiency in considering evidence, he said.

The number of IP lawsuits involving complex issues of biology, software and electrical circuits has been booming, "which also urged us to employ technological assistants for judges, in a move to reduce the burden of the court," Chen said.

The researchers will participate in case hearings and provide advice on tangled technology disputes, but are not entitled to make judicial decisions, he added.