1. Beijing

Copyright alliance formed

A copyright alliance was established on June 6 by more than 70 renowned Chinese publishers, websites, TV broadcasters and software developers, including the China Publishing Group, China Central Television, Baidu, Sina and Kingsoft. The alliance will advise the government on policies, raise public awareness, promote international copyright trading, and build a monitoring mechanism.

Beijing Youth Daily

2. Jilin

Grads get IP services

This year, local college graduates can register their graduation theses or designs with the provincial copyright administration for free. For most students, the copyright registration certificate will be the first piece of intellectual property they own, according to local authorities. Officials also hope that the system will discourage plagiarism and teach graduates to use legal weapons to prevent their works from being pirated.

China Press and Publishing Journal

3. Shanghai

New fuel cells put to use

A local high-tech company recently realized the first commercial use of hydrogen fuel cells in China. Eight of its independently developed batteries have been used at a China Unicom base station in Jiangsu province for stand-by power. According to the developer, the hydrogen fuel cell has a lifespan that is two to three times longer than the traditional lead-acid battery that the base station used before. It also cuts operational costs in half. In addition to the communications industry, this clean energy technology can also be used for elevator lighting and to provide power backup systems for financial data centers.

Dragon TV

4. Jiangsu

Zara fakes seized

Enforcement officials from the Qinhuai District Administration of Industry and Commerce in Nanjing recently seized more than 400 pieces of clothing that infringed on the trademark rights of the Spanish brand Zara. The items had a potential retail value of 90,000 yuan ($14,661). The owner said these clothes were the balance orders from the factories, but an official investigation revealed they were actually counterfeits sold wholesale from Yiwu and other Chinese markets. The owner had made nearly 100,000 yuan from the illegal sale.

Nanjing Daily

5. Anhui

Cross-Straits seminar held

A cross-Straits seminar about intellectual property management was held on June 10 at the University of Science and Technology of China. At the two-day seminar, government officials, scholars and lawyers from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan examined the different IP management models of the two sides. They shared their latest research in the field, including IP protection in the emerging industries, IP assessment, financing and risk management. Experts said that the two sides share common goals with regard to IP protection.

Chinanews.com

6. Hunan

Novel pirate nabbed

A man in Changsha county was recently detained for illegally copying and reposting nearly 10,000 novels online. The suspect, surnamed Liu, copied works from the Chinese novel website Qidian, and reposted them onto his own websites. Qidian requires membership or payment to read novels, but Liu's websites offered the content for free, so it attracted many readers and advertisers. The local police said that advertisements generated illegal income totaling more than 60,000 yuan.

Changsha Evening News

(China Daily 06/19/2013 page17)