Trademark Law amendment adopted at concluding NPC session

China's top legislature concluded a bimonthly session on Friday, adopting an amendment to the Trademark Law and a decision that allows law implementation modification in a pilot free trade zone. Members of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), the top legislature, voted to pass the amendment to the Trademark Law that aims to ensure a fair market for trademark holders. The amendment was endorsed and publicized by presidential orders signed by President Xi Jinping. The amendment, which raised the compensation ceiling for trademark infringement to 3 million yuan (about 486,000 U.S. dollars), six times the previous limit, also includes clauses that will effectively prevent malicious registration of trademarks. Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, who presided over Friday's meeting, said the revised Trademark Law will strengthen the protection of the rights and interests of industrial and commercial enterprises as well as consumers. He also believes it will help implement China's intellectual property strategies and promote the healthy development of China's socialist market economy. Another focus of attention during the five-day legislative session has been the deliberation and adoption of a decision that authorizes the State Council, China's cabinet, to modify law implementation in a pilot free trade zone in Shanghai. As authorized by the NPC Standing Committee, the State Council will suspend administrative approvals regulated by three laws, covering foreign-capital enterprises, Chinese-foreign equity joint ventures and Chinese-foreign contractual joint ventures. The decision, which will be effective from Oct. 1, is aimed at stepping up the transformation of governmental functions, innovating with China's mode of opening up, and searching for experience to deepen China's reform and opening up, according to Zhang. Three reports of the State Council were also tabled for deliberation during the legislative session. They covered the implementation of China's economic and social development plan, budget implementation and the prevention and control of infectious diseases. When briefing on legislators' feedback regarding the first two reports, Zhang said lawmakers have acknowledged the economic progress that China has accomplished this year. However, he said, legislators are also aware that China's economic development is imbalanced, unsustainable and the country now faces a grave situation featuring a slowdown in fiscal revenue growth and payment imbalance. Zhang called for much attention to be focused on the aforementioned problems and for hard work to accomplish the government's annual growth target, which was set at 7.5 percent earlier this year. The NPC Standing Committee chairman urged the State Council and government departments to closely monitor China's economic performance, financial revenue and expenditure and optimize the country's expenditure structure. On Thursday, the legislature held an inquiry session regarding the report on the prevention and control of infectious diseases. With State Council members having to take questions from lawmakers on matters of widespread public concern at this session, such procedures are one of the means by which the NPC oversees the State Council, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate. While urging government departments to study the suggestions put forward by legislators and tackle problems that are thrown up, Zhang called on legislators to enforce follow-up supervision accordingly. Also on Friday, Zhang said assessing the implementation of the Law on Renewable Energy will be an important agenda for the NPC Standing Committee to fulfill its role of supervision this year. Legislators said it is important to prioritize the development of the renewable energy sector and use stronger measures to implement the law. On Friday, the NPC Standing Committee also adopted two amendments to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, listing nine new pollutants and endosulfan, an insecticide, as well as a number of appointments and removals. Zhang also presided over a special lecture on promoting ecological progress and moving toward green and low-carbon development. He asked members of the NPC Standing Committee to strengthen learning and improve their ability to perform duties, as well as integrate theoretical knowledge into practice. The lecture was delivered by Professor Wang Xuejun from Peking University's College of Urban and Environmental Sciences.