Tencent to Offer Insurance through WeChat

Tencent chairperson and CEO Pony Ma plans to offer insurance through social messaging app WeChat in China, according to a report by XCN News. He has invested in Zhongan Insurance along with Alibaba chairperson Jack Ma and Pingbao chair Ma Mingzhe.

The Chinese subsidiary of Taiwan’s second largest financial holdings company Fubon Financial Holdings is working together with Tencent to develop the online insurance products.

A source from WeChat reportedly told XCN News that the company is still waiting for a license to bring the products online. The article stated that the insurance products are not just property insurance, but also life insurance. The company is mainly aimed at property insurance, but also offer short-term health insurance, personal accident insurance, as well as long-term life insurance on behalf of Sunshine Insurance Group.

New KIPO Commissioner Appointed

(KIPO) Effective 26 July 2017, Korean president Moon Jae-in has appointed Dr. Sung Yunmo to be the new commissioner for the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO)

Prior to his appointment as commissioner, Dr. Sung served as deputy minister for the Economic Policy Coordination Office at the Office for Government Policy Coordination under the Prime Minister’s Office since 2016. Throughout his career, He has held positions including spokesperson and policy planning officer for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, as well as director general for SME Policy Bureau of the Small and Medium Business Administration. In 2004, he also spent time working for the Presidential Office.

Dr. Sung gained experience working abroad as a Minister Counselor of Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva from 2009 to 2013 and, before that, for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan from 2001 to 2003.

Dr. Sung began his public service career at the Ministry of Trade after passing Civil Servant Exam in 1988, Industry and Energy and worked in the Americas Division and Industrial Technology Division.

JPO Agrees with Brazil IP Office to Expand Cooperation in the Field of Industrial Property

(JPO) On August 1, 2017, the Japan Patent Office （JPO） and the National Institute of Industrial Property of Brazil （INPI） agreed on a memorandum of cooperation to expand JPO-INPI cooperation in the field of industrial property. The JPO will continue to further make efforts, in cooperation with the INPI, to establish the environment in which Japanese companies can obtain IP rights smoothly and the IP rights are protected properly in Brazil.

China (Pudong) Intellectual Property Rights Protection Center Set up

(SIPO) - On July 25, 2017, the China (Pudong) Intellectual Property Rights Protection Center was officially set up. He Hua, deputy commissioner of the State Intellectual Property Office of China (SIPO), and Weng Zuliang, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and secretary of the District Committee of Pudong New District jointly inaugurated the center. As a key project of the third-round cooperation between SIPO and the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, the Center is hoped to provide fast and coordinated protection of IPR for high-end equipment manufacturing and bio-pharmaceutical industries, and will expand its scope and make improvements in line with regional industrial development.

The Center will be built as an innovative implementation of the national strategies of SIPO to speed up the pace of building China into a major country in the field of intellectual property, support the supply-side structural reform, and serve the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone. As a core area of scientific and technological innovation with great international influence, and the main part of the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone, Pudong New District is home to burgeoning high-end equipment manufacturing and bio-pharmaceutical industries. Many outstanding enterprises in Pudong have been assigned to a range of national key projects and served as models for intellectual property protection, which led to higher demand for intellectual property protection, application, management, and services.

The center will launch a "green pathway" to enable expedited examination of patents and decrease the time-to-grant to a large extent. The complaint channel will be improved and a range of mechanisms will be established to safeguard IPR, including a fast response mechanism for complaints, diverse mechanisms for dispute resolution, and online rights protection mechanisms in competitive industries. In addition, the center will initiate coordinated and cooperative actions to protect IPR in all industries by investigating and penalizing illegal practices involving patent, trademark and copyright, carrying out special law enforcement operations, and promoting fast response to infringement of IPR in key fields, areas and markets.

Taiwan Launched New system of Patent Interviews in July

(TIPO) - On July 1, 2017, the new system of patent interviews was officially launched to comply with the amended Operational Directions governing Patent Interview in Taiwan. According to the revised Operational Directions, any person requesting an interview has to submit a request form to avoid controversies caused by unclear statements. Furthermore, when filling out the request form, the requester has to specify matters and provide explanations for interview, as well as topics to facilitate communication.

Between April and June of 2017, TIPO ran a trial program on improving the system of interviews to familiarize requesters with new interview procedures. In addition to new request forms, interview notifications, and interview records that were put to use, deputy directors of TIPO’s patent divisions participated in actual interviews to assist in communication between requesters and interviewers, as well as increase interview quality and efficiency.

TIPO also has completed its plans for and improvement of interview spaces and equipment, hoping that through integration of the new system and hardware a friendlier and more efficient interview environment may be created.

Shen Vows to Beef Up IP Cooperation with Partners

(SIPO) -- During the China-Africa High-Level Seminar on IP System and Polices held in Guangdong on July 24, State Intellectual Property office commissioner Shen Changyu sat down with some of the attendees, including World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) legal counsel and head of legal and constitutional affairs Edward K. Kwakwa, African Regional IP Organization (ARIPO) director general Fernando Dos Santos and South Africa's Companies and IP Commission (CIPC) commissioner Rory Wayne Voller.

In a meeting with Edward K. Kwakwa, Shen affirmed SIPO's dedication to international IP cooperation. Kwakwa stated that he believed that China will play an increasingly pivotal role in global IP norm-setting activities.

"With the continuous development of global IP undertakings, the importance of IP system and policy planning have become increasingly prominent. I'd like to take this opportunity to share China's latest IP development information with African countries and exchange views on IP system and policy making," said Shen when talking to Fernando Dos Santos. Dos Santos stated that since the cooperation agreement was signed in 2007, the two sides executed effective steps in the fields of staff training and patent documentation management while expressing his will for more profound and fruitful cooperation in the future.

In a private session with Rory Wayne Voller, Shen said that South Africa and China were both BRICS members and good friends forged on the basis of equity and mutual trust, extensive cooperation, mutual benefit and common development. "I hope this seminar will facilitate mutual understanding between China and African countries including South Africa, and lay a solid foundation for deepening practical cooperation and reaching more common ground," added Shen. Waller applauded the cooperation between SIPO and CIPC under the framework of BRICS. He would very much like to see more intensive and effective cooperation in IP enforcement in the future, he stated.

The seminar, organized by SIPO and WIPO was themed on IP system development and practice, IP promotion and service, public IP awareness raise. 50 senior representatives from WIPO, ARIPO and its member states, Angola, Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, IP office of South Africa and China IP community participated in the seminar.

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