Hengyang Municipal Intellectual Property Bureau is established as an institution directly under the municipal government, with its main functions, internal structure and personnel management in accordance with the “Notice of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council on Printing and Distributing ‘Plan on Reform of Organs of Hengyang Municipal People’s Government’” (Heng Wei [2010] No. 4).

Main Functions
I. to implement laws, rules, regulations, guidelines and policies related to patent; to study and draft local rules, regulations and policies concerning patent and organize to carry them out;

II. to assume the responsibility of drawing up the intellectual property strategy of Hengyang within the limits of its authority together with relevant departments according to the requirements of the overall objectives in the outline of the national intellectual property strategy and the municipality’s overall plan on national economic and social development, and organize to carry it out together with relevant departments; to formulate the municipality’s development program and working plan concerning patent and carry them out;

III. to carry out intellectual property protection in key fields and industries and major special projects of the municipality, and also intellectual property investigation into significant economic affairs with relevant departments; to organize to carry out regional intellectual property strategy within the limits of its authority; to guide and supervise the strategic implementation and evaluation of intellectual property in districts and counties within the limits of its authority together with relevant departments of the municipality;

IV. to strengthen the public service of intellectual property information in the municipality together with relevant departments, take charge of establishing the public service system for patent information in the municipality and promote the dissemination and use of patent information together with relevant departments; to establish the early-warning mechanism for intellectual property together with relevant departments; to guide and standardize evaluation of the intangible assets of intellectual property together with relevant departments; to guide relevant work concerning intellectual property aid and intellectual property arbitration;

V. to study to formulate policies and measures on promoting the application of the patent system and patent technology transformation and implementation, and take charge of the management of patent work in patent technology exchange market and patent license trade; to take charge of patent statistics, analysis and reporting; to assume the responsibilities of accepting patent application, collecting patent fees and inquiring and consulting relevant issues with the authorization or entrustment of the State Intellectual property Office of the People’s Republic of China;

VI. to organize, coordinate and implement intellectual property protection in the municipality and establish the cooperation mechanism in law enforcement of intellectual property and carry out relevant law enforcement work together with relevant departments; to assume the responsibility of standardizing the basic order of patent management, and take charge of overhauling and standardizing patent protection in the market economy and patent protection in exhibitions of the municipality; to take charge of handling and mediating in the cases of dispute over patent infringement, and investigating into and punishing patent imitation and counterfeit;

VII. to organize to publicize and popularize laws, rules and policies about patent and organize to work out the educating and training plan concerning intellectual property of the municipality according to the regulations;

VIII. to draw up the municipality’s policies on foreign-related intellectual property, do research into the development trends of foreign intellectual property, conduct overall planning and coordination in foreign-related intellectual property issues and carry out cooperation and exchange with foreign countries, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan;

IX. to guide the development of patent intermediaries in the municipality, organize to formulate administrative measures on standardizing patent intermediaries of the municipality and take charge of supervising and guiding relevant trade associations;

X. to take charge of acceptance and hearing of relevant administrative reviews and responses to administrative proceedings;

XI. to undertake other tasks assigned by the municipal government.

Divisions:
General Office
Division of Comprehensive Management
Division of Laws and Policies