Intellectual Property Agreements Announced Between China and the UK
Recently, the UK Intellectual Property Office issued a Press Release announcing Intellectual Property Agreements between the UK and China concerning trademarks and patents with the objective of encouraging applicants and/or businesses in each country to develop products and services from new innovations and ideas.
The Press Release indicates that Chinese companies currently file four times more patents than in 2004 and project such numbers to increase well into the future, including a forecast that, by 2012, China will generate the largest number of patent applications of any nation in the world.
In view of current backlogs and delays in patent prosecutions, the patent agreements between the two nations are intended to:
- address backlogs by reducing duplication and delays in the processing of applications and enabling UK and Chinese patent examiners to "make better use of each others' work"; and
- promote the use and understanding of the respective Intellectual Property systems by Chinese and UK businesses.
The trademarks agreement is intended to enable cooperation between the UK Intellectual Property Office and the China Trade Mark Office, including facilitating exchanges of best practices and training.
To date, there have been no simlar announcements from Industry Canada or the Canadian Intellectual Property Office regarding efforts to better facilitate coordination, collaboration and/or increased efficiencies between CIPO and the China Patent & Trademark Office for the protection and exploitation of intellectual property within the two countries although this announcement certainly suggests such agreement could certainly be considered in order to advance the IP interests of businesses operating in both countries.
