The year of 2010 was the closing chapter for the 11th Five-year Plan and the key year to fully initiate the implementation of the national intellectual property (IP) strategy of China. Closely focusing on the central task of economic construction, the Chinese government stuck to the independent innovation program with Chinese characteristics and strengthened the implementation of the national IP strategy. Remarkable achievements have been made in 2010.

I. Legislation

In 2010, regular IP legislations were made according to the needs of economic and social development with the outcome of steadily improved IP laws, regulations, rules and relevant regulatory documents.

Patent system has been improved with the completion of the 3rd revision of Patent Law. The amended Implementing Regulations of the Patent Law came into force on February 1, 2011. The amended Patent Law and Implementing Regulations of the Patent Law prescribed stricter conditions to patent granting，improved examination system for patents for design and compulsory license system, added system of preservation of evidence in proceedings, supplemented measures to protect public interests, and strengthen patent protection. In the meantime, 12 regulations like Measures on Patent Administrative Enforcement and Guidelines for Patent Examination were formulated and revised.

Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) published The 8th Protection List of Agricultural Varieties of Plants and organized the revision and formulation of a series of regulations, like Regulations on Settling Infringement Cases Involving New Agricultural Varieties of Plants, Examination Regulations of Reexamination Board of New Varieties of Plants of The Ministry of Agriculture and the Naming Regulations on Agricultural Varieties of Plants. In consideration of characteristics of various IPRs and protection needs, Supreme People's Court (SPC) formulated and published regulatory documents to standardize and unify trial of IP cases.