Peimeng · Newsletter Jan 18-22
Haier: Accurately Protect Core Patents
Innovation is the first driving force for development, and protecting intellectual property rights is protecting innovation. In the field of home appliances, Haier is the company with the most overseas invention patents in China, with more than 11,000 patent applications overseas. While establishing an early warning system for intellectual property risks, Haier accurately protects patents with core competitiveness, and explores the linkage of technologies, patents, and standards to enhance the ability to realize patent assets, making intellectual property an important tool for stable development and value appreciation of enterprises.
Regarding the protection of intellectual property rights in the manufacturing sector in the future, Haier Group and industry insiders suggest: First, the government will introduce more policies to encourage enterprise innovation, and increase the cultivation of high-value patented technologies involving green, wisdom, scenarios, ecology, and overseas patents. Second, strengthen the protection of intellectual property rights, solve the difficulties of “difficult proof, low compensation, and long cycle” in the process of enterprise rights protection, and create a more harmonious business environment; increase the cultivation and development of patent operation capabilities, and policy support to promote the development of patent operations and realize the value of patents; third, to strengthen the extended protection of trademarks. Enterprises start brand promotion and use after the trademark is registered. However, at the time, many newly established enterprises have used the previous corporate brand (i.e. trademark) as the trade name, which has caused a significant negative impact on the companies that registered this trademark before.
China’s Trademark Registration Examination Reached 8.784 million Pieces in 2020
In 2020, the Trademark Office and various Local Trademark Examination and Cooperation Centers worked together and completed 8.784 million domestic trademark registration examinations throughout the year, which was a year-on-year increase of 6.43%. The average trademark registration examination period was shortened to four months as scheduled. The "Thirteenth FiveYear Plan for the Protection and Application of Intellectual Property Rights" set goals were successfully completed.
The meeting pointed out that during the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, the Trademark Office and various examination units closely focused on the general requirements of building a strong country with intellectual property rights. They worked hard and conducted reforms, and achieved outstanding results: the trademark examination workforce was effectively expanded, and the various examination tasks were successfully completed. The trademark examination efficiency has been greatly improved, reached the leading level global; trademark examination quality has been steadily improved; trademark protection has been effectively strengthened, more than 150,000 malicious and hoarding trademark registration applications have been rejected since 2018; trademark service capabilities have been continuously enhanced, online and offline services are integrated and developed, and the public's degree of satisfaction has been continuously improved.
IP & SMEs: Taking your ideas to market
World Intellectual Property Day – April 26, 2021
Every April 26, we celebrate World Intellectual Property Day to learn about the role that intellectual property (IP) rights play in encouraging innovation and creativity.
Every business starts with an idea. Each of the millions of SMEs that operate across the globe every day started with an idea that took shape in someone’s mind and made its way to market. When nurtured and enriched with ingenuity, knowhow and flair an idea becomes an IP asset that can drive business development, economic recovery and human progress.
Creative minds the world over – architects, artists, artisans, designers, engineers, entrepreneurs, researchers, scientists and many others – come up with new ideas every day. From the arts to artificial intelligence, fashion to farming, renewable energy to retail, television to tourism, and virtual reality to videogames, to name just a few.
Some of their ideas translate into the products and services we want to buy. Others don’t make it. The journey to market can be perilous. But with a focus on IP, businesses can anticipate, navigate and better manage the many twists and turns that pave the road to commercialization.
At a time when the imperative of economic recovery is high, World Intellectual Property Day 2021 shines a light on the critical role of SMEs in the economy and how they can use IP rights to build stronger, more competitive and resilient businesses.
SMEs are the backbone of national economies. They deliver the goods and services we need every day; they hatch breakthrough innovations and inspiring creations and they create jobs; some become the world leading businesses of tomorrow. SMEs make up around 90 percent of the world’s businesses, employ around 50 percent of the global workforce and generate up to 40 percent of national income in many emerging economies, more, if you count informal businesses.
Each of these business ventures has taken an idea and married it with ingenuity to create a product or a service that consumers want. And each of them can use IP rights to safeguard and create value from their business assets. Yet many are unaware that they hold IP or that it has value. This means, many are missing out on opportunities to improve their bottom line and grow. Studies show that when businesses are IP savvy, and when they acquire and manage IP rights, they do better.
If you are new to the world of IP, World Intellectual Property Day 2021 is an opportunity to find out how the tools of the IP system – trademarks, design rights, copyright, patents, trade secrets, geographical indications, and more – can support you when taking your ideas to market.
With IP rights you can turn an idea into a business opportunity, generate value, create employment and enrich the choice of products available to consumers. With IP your business can flourish and your community can thrive. World IP Day 2021 also highlights the central role that WIPO and national and regional IP offices around the world play in creating favorable conditions for SMEs to drive innovation and creativity, power economic recovery and create employment.
Join us in celebrating the ingenuity and creativity that lies behind every SME, their courage to make a difference and the contributions they make in enhancing our daily lives. Support your local SMEs and champion local innovation. (Source: WIPO)
