CNIPA Releases National Intellectual Property Agency Industry Development Status (2023)
Date: 16 August 2024
The National Intellectual Property Agency Industry Development Status (2023) indicates that China's intellectual property agency industry showed a positive trend of steady development in 2023. The industry continued to grow; by the end of 2023, the total number of patent agencies (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan), had increased to 5269, the number of people who obtained the patent agent qualification certificate reached 76,230, and the number of practicing patent agents was 34,396. There are more patent agencies in the economically developed areas in the eastern and coastal areas of China. The top five provinces/cities in the ranking are Beijing, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai, consistent with their ranking in 2022. Beijing has the highest number of patent agencies, with a total of 1042, accounting for 19.8% of the total number of patent agencies; Guangdong ranks second with a total of 853 patent agencies, accounting for 16.2% of the total number of patent agencies in the country.
There are 35,712 recorded trademark agencies nationwide. There are more recorded trademark agencies in the economically developed areas in the eastern and coastal areas of China. The top five provinces/cities in the ranking are Guangdong, Beijing, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shandong, the number of trademark agencies respectively being 7599, 4079, 2688, 2402, and 2299, accounting for 21.3%, 11.4%, 7.5%, 6.7% and 6.4% of the total number of trademark agencies in the country.
Source: CNIPA
https://www.cnipa.gov.cn/art/2024/8/16/art_53_194237.html
国知局发布《全国知识产权代理行业发展状况（2023）》
日期：2024-08-16
《全国知识产权代理行业发展状况（2023）》显示，中国知识产权代理行业在2023年表现出稳步发展的积极态势。行业规模持续增长，截至2023年底，专利代理机构总数增至5269家（不含港澳台地区），获得专利代理师资格证书的人数达到76230人，执业专利代理师数量为34396人。东部及沿海经济发达地区专利代理机构较多，专利代理机构数量排名前五位的省（市）依次为：北京、广东、江苏、浙江和上海，与2022年排序保持一致。其中：北京专利代理机构数量居全国之首，共1042家，占全国专利代理机构总数的19.8%；广东位列第二，共853家，占全国专利代理机构总数的16.2%。
全国备案商标代理机构35712家。东部及沿海经济发达地区商标代理机构较多，商标代理机构数量排名前五位的省（市）依次为：广东、北京、江苏、浙江、山东，商标代理机构数量分别为7599家、4079家、2688家、2402家、2299家，分别占全国商标代理机构总数的21.3%、11.4%、7.5%、6.7%、6.4%。
资料来源：国家知识产权局
新闻链接：https://www.cnipa.gov.cn/art/2024/8/16/art_53_194237.html
The Intellectual Property Court of the SPC Releases a Typical Case, Clarifying Standards for Determining E-commerce Platform Display Content and Manufacturing Activities in Patent Infringement Cases
Date: 22 August 2024
The Plaintiff, an Italian mechanical corporation (Italian Company), is the owner of patent number CNB028295110A for an invention titled ‘Bucket for Crushing and Screening Stones’. The Italian Company discovered that the Defendant, a Shandong engineering machinery company (Shandong Company) had published on multiple e-commerce platforms photos of products that were identical to its patented product but marked with the Shandong Company's trademark. The photos were accompanied by information it believed showed that Shandong Company was manufacturing and selling the products, thereby infringing its patent rights. It brought an action for patent infringement. The court of first instance deemed that the information published by Shandong Company on e-commerce platforms was insufficient to establish Shandong Company's manufacturing and sales activities, and dismissed all claims made by the Italian Company. The Italian Company appealed to the Supreme People's Court.
In relation to the claim that Shandong Company was selling, or offering for sale, the allegedly infringing product, the Supreme People's Court found that the images of the five allegedly infringing products were displayed next to sales links on b2b.baidu.com and another two e-commerce platforms. Shandong company had confirmed that the products in the images were the patented products of the Italian company. Moreover, the sales web pages for the five allegedly infringing products also made extensive use of the images, together with the Shandong Company’s brand, place of origin, price, model, and quantities. This was sufficient to demonstrate Shandong Company’s intention to sell the products displayed on the web page and constituted an act of offering for sale. Shandong Company had also confirmed that the working principle of the allegedly infringing products was derived from the patented products manual of the Italian company. Therefore, it could be established that the technical solutions of the five allegedly infringing products fell within the scope of protection of the paten-in-suit, and the Shandong Company's act of offering for sale constituted the infringement.
In relation to the claim that Shandong Company was manufacturing the allegedly infringing products, the Supreme People's Court, held that manufacture could reasonably be inferred based on the statements of origin and quantity on the sales web pages, in conjunction with the content being marked as ‘factory direct sales’ and ‘customized upon request’ on the web page, and the Shandong Company's failure to provide evidence explaining an alternative source of the allegedly infringing products it was offering for sale.
The Supreme People's Court comprehensively considered Shandong Company's various infringing acts, including manufacturing and offering for sale. It found that, knowing that the products infringed, Shandong Company had continued to manufacture, promote and sell the products on multiple websites, displaying patented product photos and describing working principles identical to those of the patented products. It found in favour of the Italian Company and upheld its claim for compensation for economic loss in the sum of RMB 900,000. (approx. US$ 130,000)
The Court made it clear that it could reasonably infer, on the basis of product model, origin, quantity, and descriptions such as ‘factory direct sales’, displayed in the product sales links on e-commerce platforms, that the allegedly infringing products had been manufactured by the Defendant.
Source: The Intellectual Property Court of SPC
https://ipc.court.gov.cn/zh-cn/news/view-3376.html
最高人民法院知识产权法庭发布典型案例，明确专利侵权案件中电商平台展示内容与制造行为的认定标准
日期：2024-08-22
原告意大利某机械股份公司（下称“意大利公司”） 是专利号为02829511.0、名称为“用于破碎并筛分石头的铲斗”的发明专利的权利人。意大利公司发现被告山东某工程机械公司（下称“山东公司”） 在多个电商平台上发布的产品照片与其专利产品相同，并标注了山东公司的商标和相关信息，认为山东公司侵犯了其专利权，遂诉至法院。一审法院认为，仅凭山东公司在电商平台上发布的信息不足以认定该公司存在制造、销售行为，驳回了意大利公司全部诉讼请求。意大利公司不服一审判决，向最高人民法院提出上诉。
最高人民法院二审认为，关于许诺销售行为，山东公司在电商平台上许诺销售的被诉侵权产品中有五款产品各自在“爱采购”“材料网”“搜了网”上的销售链接旁均展示有产品图片，山东公司确认图片中的产品即为意大利公司专利产品。同时，上述五款被诉侵权产品的销售网页中亦大量使用了山东公司所确认的专利产品图片。再结合销售网页上显示的品牌、产地、价格、型号、数量等信息，足以认定山东公司作出了销售网页图片所展示产品的意思表示，构成对该产品的许诺销售行为，因此可以认定山东公司在“爱采购”“材料网”“搜了网”许诺销售的该五款被诉侵权产品的技术方案落入涉案专利权的保护范围，山东公司的许诺销售行为构成侵权。
关于制造行为，最高人民法院综合考虑山东公司在多个电商平台上许诺销售上述五款被诉侵权产品，以及销售网页中关于产地、数量的记载，网页图片显示陈列有数台被诉侵权产品等因素，再结合网页中标注的“厂家直销”“电联定制”等内容，以及山东公司未能举证说明其许诺销售的被诉侵权产品来源情况等事实，合理推定山东公司存在制造上述五款被诉侵权产品的行为。最终最高人民法院综合考虑山东公司侵权行为类型包括制造和许诺销售、明知涉案专利技术方案内容的情况下，仍在多个网站上以展示专利产品图片、描述与专利产品相同的工作原理等方式宣传推销其制造的被诉侵权产品，全额支持了意大利公司90万元的经济损失赔偿请求。
本案明确人民法院可以综合考虑被诉侵权人在电商平台上展示的产品销售链接中关于产品型号、产地、数量的标注以及“厂家直销”等描述，合理推定被诉侵权产品由其制造。
资料来源：最高人民法院知识产权法庭 2024-08-22
新闻链接：https://ipc.court.gov.cn/zh-cn/news/view-3376.html
China's First Case of Trade Secrets Infringement in the Field of AI - Defendant Received a 2 Year Suspended Prison Sentence
Date: 2 August 2024
Victim Company (Company A), established in Pudong New Area, is involved in the research, development and sale of artificial intelligence chips. In November 2022, it discovered an unauthorized computer in its server room. Upon investigation, it was found that the computer had been used to copy a large amount of confidential information and upload it to the cloud.
Following the prosecutorial authorities’ investigation, a reference was found to Guo, one of Company A’s founders, in the promotional material of another technology company (Company B) indicating Guo’s financial involvement. The timing of these activities coincided with the time the confidential information had been copied and uploaded to the cloud. Prosecutors and technical teams conducted a technical review, confirming that the code of confidential information being used by Company B was identical to the code developed by Company A. By means of professional appraisal and reference to similar cases, it was determined that the reasonable license fee for the technical information involved would have been in excess of RMB 2.3 million.
In February 2024, the Pudong New Area People's Procuratorate prosecuted Guo on suspicion of having infringed trade secrets. At the conclusion of the trial, Guo received a two-year suspended prison sentence and was fined RMB 100,000. (approx. US$ 250,000)
This case is the first case involving infringement of trade secrets in the field of artificial intelligence in China.
Source: SPP
https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/zdgz/202408/t20240802_662274.shtml
中国首例人工智能领域侵犯商业秘密案，被告人被判处有期徒刑2年
日期：2024-08-02
被害单位A公司在浦东新区成立，专注于人工智能芯片的研发和销售。2022年11月，A公司发现其机房内多出一台电脑，经调查，发现大量保密数据被复制并上传到云端，操作者为公司创始人之一的郭某。
经检察机关介入侦查，发现郭某出现在另一家科技公司B公司的宣传资料中，并参与融资活动，时间与郭某复制A公司数据的时间高度重合。检察官和技术团队进行技术性审查，确定郭某窃取的代码与A公司主张的代码具有同一性。通过专业鉴定和参考类案，确定了涉案技术信息的合理许可使用费为230余万元。2024年2月，浦东新区检察院以涉嫌侵犯商业秘密罪对郭某提起公诉。法院开庭审理后，判处郭某有期徒刑二年，缓刑二年，并处罚金10万元。
本案为中国首例人工智能领域侵犯商业秘密案。
资料来源：最高人民检察院 2024-08-02
新闻链接：https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/zdgz/202408/t20240802_662274.shtml
Chinese Online Film and Television Platforms' Largest Case of Pirate Linking, Defendants Receive Prison Sentence and Fines of RMB 24 Million (approx. US$ 342.000)
Date: 20 August 2024
Defendants Zhang Ping, Sun Yan and others developed and operated multiple film and television work aggregation Apps such as ‘Film Collection’ and ‘Film Today’, by adopting methods of downloading and uploading popular audio-visual works to their rented cloud storage servers, or purchasing third-party technical parsing services (also known as ‘intercepting playback’ or ‘pirate linking’, which involves writing code to send requests to the platform to obtain playback addresses and remove advertisements, tricking the platform into thinking it is a genuine user request,). They disseminated more than 83,000 audio-visual works without the permission of copyright owners. The Defendants illegally profited more than RMB 392 million (approx. US$ 55,000,000.00). The appeal of these ‘pirate linking’ Apps is that users can access content without payment or even registration.
The Xinwu District People's Court in Wuxi City held that the actions of the Defendants constituted the crime of copyright infringement. Ultimately, Zhang Ping was sentenced to five years and six months in prison and fined RMB 20 million, Sun Yan was sentenced to three years in prison and fined f RMB 4 million. The judgment has come into effect.
Source: Xinhua Daily 2024-08-20
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/TrIlcdOmK02Yo1nc7LttBQ
中国网络影视平台“盗链第一大案”，两被告被判处罚金2400万元
日期：2024-08-20
被告张平、孙砚等人通过开发运营的“影视大全纯净版”、“今日影视”等多款影视作品聚合App，在未经著作权人许可的情况下，采用将热门视听作品“下载上传”至其租用的云存储服务器内，或购买第三方技术解析服务（又称“截流播放”“盗链”，即编写代码向平台发出获取播放地址、剔除广告的请求，使平台误认为是由平台真实用户发出，从而骗取平台视听作品播放地址，并跳过平台原有广告）等方式，传播了8.3万余部视听作品，并从中非法获利3.92亿余元。这类“盗链”传播的App更吸引用户的地方，在于不用付费甚至不用注册即可观看。
无锡市新吴区人民法院认为，二人的行为已构成侵犯著作权罪，最终张平被判处有期徒刑5年6个月并处罚金2000万元，孙砚被判处有期徒刑3年并处罚金400万元，现判决已经生效。
资料来源：新华日报 2024-08-20