Reporter learned on February 18, 2014 that from March 1, 2014, General Administration of Customs (GAC) will officially launch a new online IP recordation system with which the whole process of receiving and examining the recordation of IP will become paperless.

According to the provisions of the PRC Customs Protection of Intellectual Property Rights Regulations, any enterprises and individuals demanding the customs to protect their IP rights shall record in advance their corresponding rights with GAC. At present, to record their rights with GAC, the rights owners shall submit the electronic data online first, and then deliver the paper documents to the GAC. After the launch of the new system, applicants of the recordation may not only complete the whole application procedure online without mailing the paper documents, but also revise timely the mistakes they find out. Therefore, it is greatly expected to reduce the workload and shorten the time of submitting applications.

In addition, the new system permits applicants to pay the fee when the recordation is approved by GAC, avoiding refunding when the recordation application is rejected if applicants pay the fee first, and the system also offer applicants the service of notification and alert all the way through.

The GAC expressed they hope the new system may facilitate the recordation of IP by the right owners and contribute to the reliability and accuracy of the recordation information, so as to improve the efficiency of the local Customs to find out infringing commodities.

Date: February 19, 2014                 
Source: Xinhua News Net