The innovation capacity and intellectual property rights environment of emerging countries, such as China and India, are improving sharply, noted Gan Shaoning, vice-commissioner of the State Intellectual Property Office, at an IP forum held last week in Beijing.

But he said that the global development of Chinese companies is "a long-term program that needs much effort". Chinese companies must know and utilize IP-related laws and rules to protect their rights overseas. In order to do this, "the IP administrations must take an active role in encouraging them to protect their rights and tell them how".

In this way, he said, "China will be able to deal with the increasingly severe international competition and let IP-related work become part of its national economic development".

Co-hosted by SIPO and the China Intellectual Property Society, this year's International Intellectual Property Environment Forum invited experts from home and abroad to focus on the intellectual property rights environments of India, Russia and South Africa.

Russia recently became a member of the World Trade Organization, and Gan said that its participation "will increase the importance of developing nations in WTO negotiations".

Aleksey Zalesov, deputy managing partner and head of the legal department of Sojuzpatent, Russia's leading IP law firm, said that the economic ties between Russia and China are increasing every year.

"The activity of Chinese companies in Russia is increasing, however, compared with the activities of Western companies, it's still small," said Zalesov, who encouraged Chinese entrepreneurs to apply for more patents in Russia.

"Not only invention patents, but also utility model patents are important for Chinese companies to compete in Russia," he said.

He said Russia has a "very effective patent system" and Russian companies are given real competitiveness from patents, as patents can be used as a weapon in the market.

A number of reports were unveiled at the forum, covering analyses of IP law systems, service organizations and case studies of IP disputes in emerging countries.

Since 2009, SIPO has been analyzing the intellectual property environment of China's major export destinations, including their related laws and policies, lawsuit studies and the strategies of local companies.

SIPO has so far released 12 reports on the intellectual property rights environment of various countries and regions, including the United States, the European Union, Japan and South Korea.

Organized by SIPO and hosted by the China Intellectual Property Society, the first International Intellectual Property Environment Forum was held in July 2010, with the aims of guiding companies to protect their rights overseas, and help them understand relevant foreign IP laws and information.

zhangzhao@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 08/01/2012 page17)