He Rong, vice-president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC) of China, met with Craig Allen, president of the US-China Business Council (USCBC), on Nov 16. The two sides exchanged views on the application of punitive damages in the field of intellectual property rights (IPR), evidence presentation, seed provenance, patenting and protection of well-known trademarks.

He Rong welcomed Allen and briefed him on the progress and achievements made by China's courts in strengthening IPR protection. She said courts in China are committed to IPR protection in strict accordance with the law，render equal protection over domestic and foreign enterprises and right holders, and apply punitive damages which significantly increases the cost of infringement. They have also deepened reform and innovation in IPR-related trials, and enhanced international judicial exchanges and cooperation, according to He, and the measures have yielded continuous improvement in China's judicial capacity and ability to protect IPR.

The recently concluded 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China made strategic plans for China's development in the next five years and beyond, where strengthening IPR protection was specifically mentioned, said He Rong. Chinese courts will strive to implement the central leadership's thoughts on the rule of law, reinforce judicial protection of IPR, and equally protect the legitimate rights and interests of both domestic and foreign litigants, in a bid to foster a world-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based and internationalized, she added. She hoped that the USCBC will continue to play a positive role in promoting China-US exchanges and cooperation in the IPR field.

Allen expressed his appreciation for the meeting and lauded China's achievements in the IPR judicial protection. He also looked forward to more exchanges and cooperation with China in this regard.