Last Friday, the European Patent Office (EPO) announced the April launch of a 16M Euro initiative with the Chinese State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO), the Chinese government, and the European Commission. As referenced within the EPO article (link below), “Although China's legal framework for protecting intellectual property rights (IPR) is now in line with international standards, the actual enforcement of IPR remains a critical issue. Concerns about copyright infringement and patent rights violations persist, and over 70 percent of counterfeit products worldwide originate in China.” The project (referred to as the “EU-China Project on the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights,” or IPR2) is funded 2/3 by the EU and 1/3 by China, with the EPO having responsibility for educating all parties involved on IP rights. A number of “key issues” are highlighted in this program, including enhanced IP enforcement, guidance for IP rights holders, a synchronized legal framework, increased IP personnel, education and awareness, and a seamless information exchange. Additional information on this program can be found at the two links below.

EPO Article: LINK
IPR2 Website: LINK