China To Establish A Specialized IP Court System

China is on track to establish a separate IP court system, with pilot venues to be set up in the municipalities of Beijing and Shanghai, and the province of Guangdong. The proposal for the special court was approved recently by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress – China’s top lawmaking body –  writes Jack Ellis, in the Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) blog. The fact that Chinese lawmakers have taken this step, he writes, “shows that they understand, on some level, how important it is for their country’s continued economic security that IP rights are respected and valued. Not only does that send a powerful message to overseas critics of China’s record on IP protection; crucially, it also provides encouragement to China’s own innovators.”