Basically, China has decided to bring its patent laws in line with international standards due to its efforts to join the World Trade Organization (WTO). For the most part, this means complying with Intellectual Property Laws as defined by the WTO's treaty on trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights, commonly referred to as TRIPS. It also means complying with World Intellectual Property Organization standards. The World Intellectual Property Organization, commonly referred to as WIPO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations dedicated to promoting the use and protection of intellectual property worldwide.
As it stands, now, the last area of Chinese commercial law that needs to be brought in line with WTO regulations is intellectual property. China is still among the world's biggest violators of intellectual property rights; however, this is mainly due to weak enforcement. China has already made great strides in making sure that, on paper at least, it is set to comply with international standards. The new laws enacted last August reflect a definite desire on the behalf of Chinese lawmakers to ensure that PRC patent laws are in accordance with both TRIPS and WIPO.
