China's top court opened its specilized Intellectual Property Tribunal in Beijing on January 1, 2019, as a new step to effectively safeguard IP rights.
The new tribunal, a subdivision of the Supreme People's Court, has been set up in the capital's Fengtai district. It is responsible for handling civil and administrative appeals related to patents, according to the top court.
Litigants who disagree with rulings made by intermediate people's courts at the city or prefecture level, or by specialized IP courts or tribunals, can appeal directly to the IP appellate tribunal instead of first appealing to provincial high people's courts.
"The change to patent-related litigation procedures aims to help prevent inconsistency and improve the quality and efficiency of trials," said Luo Dongchuan, chief judge of the IP appellate tribunal.
The IP tribuna will also study difficult patent-related cases to help foster a favorable legal environment for technological innovation, and create a better business environment for domestic and international enterprises, he said.
The new IP tribunal, with 30 judges selected from IP tribunals in 10 provinces across the country, has courtrooms, a litigation service center, a technical investigation department, and a coordination office.
People will be able to enjoy better legal services in the new IP tribunal. Wang Chuang, deputy chief judge of the IP tribunal, said they will be able to read case-related materials on the court's online platforms.
The establishment of the IP tribunal implements a resolution on IP appeal procedures that was adopted at a bimonthly session of the country's top legislature, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, in October.
Source: China Daily, IPRAction
