Sources: China’s Website for the Campaign Against IPR Infringements and Counterfeits

http://english.ipraction.gov.cn/article/News/201801/20180100172644.shtml

On January 23, the General Administration of Customs of China (“GACC”) revealed the completion of the “Fair Wind” program aimed to preserve the overseas image of “Made in China” which has taken three consecutive years. During this action, the accumulated batches of infringing goods seized by the customs nationwide have amounted to 58,000, involving 120 million items, and valued at RMB 552 million yuan, thereby protecting the legal rights of 1065 companies from 48 countries around the world. Meanwhile, GACC also published four typical cases about the “Fair Wind” Action.

It is known that during the “Fair Wind” Action, the customs also seized 3892 batches of goods which infringed the IP rights of domestic companies, and involved 22.3 million items valued at  28million US dollars and relating to 329 separate companies.

In the course of the action, customs established a blacklist of companies engaged in infringing activity, and placed these companies on a list for monitoring, and strengthened entry-exit control over such companies. Under the credit rating management performed by Customs against import and export companies, IP infringement is regarded as an important adjustment factor, the credit rating of an infringing company is lowered by law, and the customs clearance costs thereof are increased. Customs intensified punishment for companies whose import and export goods constituted a serious infringement. As for those cases having received administrative penalty, customs increased public exposure by timely releasing the interested parties committing illegal activities and their illegal facts. As for clues to suspected cases of IPR crimes, the customs reported all of them to the public security organs.

Meanwhile, customs made an effort to improve social services not only by increasingly streamlining procedures of customs record on IPR, and guiding and encouraging companies to apply for customs protective record for IPR in GACC; but also by relieving burdens of companies` rights protection. Since November 1, 2015, fees for customs protective record for IPR has been suspended, which helped companies to have saved the fees for rights protection amounting to about RMB 17 million