China inspects implementation of Patent Law

BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature has started a round of

inspections on the implementation of its Patent Law.

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) has organized five

groups of inspectors to check in the provinces of Liaoning, Anhui, Zhejiang,

Guangdong and Shaanxi, the NPC revealed on Wednesday.

It has also entrusted local legislatures in eight provincial regions, including

Tianjin, Shanghai and Sichuan, to conduct the inspections in these places.

They are aimed at improving authorities' work in protecting intellectual property

rights (IPR) and encouraging innovation as well as raising awareness of IPR

protection among the public.

Inspectors will investigate how local authorities have worked to help create a

sound environment for supporting patents and protecting inventors' rights,

according to the NPC.

They will also review the work of companies, colleges and scientific institutions

to improve their applications for patents and the utilization and protection of

their patents.

The Patent Law, which was enacted in 1984, has had three major revisions in the

past 30 years.

The NPC Standing Committee last inspected the law's implementation in 2006.