China is expected to become the fifth largest drug market in the world by 2010 with a growth rate of 20-25 percent per annum in next three years. As China joins the World Trade Organization (WTO) and integrates more completely into the global economy, it will further open the door to a lucrative drug market for overseas pharmaceutical companies, which attracts more and more overseas pharmaceutical manufacturers and producers to enter such drug market and seize a larger part of such drug market. However, the Chinese social environment for the protection of intellectual property right is complex. The locally produced generics and copy products dominate the Chinese drug market. It is estimated that about 97 percent of the drugs produced by local companies are generics or counterfeits.

Facing such complex social environment and market, most overseas and multinational pharmaceutical companies fear that their imported drugs and pharmaceuticals produced in China will be imitated or copied, in turn, their intellectual property will be infringed and benefit will be violated. What reason incurred such fear of overseas and multinational pharmaceutical companies? Why did Eli Lilly & Company fail in its litigation of patent infringement dispute case in China? Why can Pfizer win in an administrative proceeding against the Patent Reexamination Board of the China State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) for its Viagra patent? Lack of knowledge of the Chinese intellectual property right system and legislation institution, the cultural difference between China and Western countries as well as the language barriers incurred such result.

China's Guidebook for Pharmaceutical Patent Protection is an essential resource for overseas and multinational pharmaceutical companies to achieve a successful patent protection for their intellectual property in China. This guidebook, targeting overseas and multinational pharmaceutical companies and combining case studies of patent infringement dispute in China from them, will provide a comprehensive and thorough knowledge of the Chinese patent system and legislation institution to guide overseas and multinational pharmaceutical companies step by step to achieve a successful patent protection for their intellectual property in China, which is beginning from the organization structure and the responsibility of Chinese patent authorities, the application for patent, the examination and approval of application for patent, the protection of patent right, to design for compositions of optimized patent protection strategies. Its audiences are the executives from overseas and multinational pharmaceutical companies who have the preliminary knowledge of patent. It is also a textbook for the readers studying in the patent protection for intellectual property rights relating to pharmaceuticals. After having skimmed through this guidebook, audiences and readers can not only be clearly aware of the Chinese patent system and legislation institution, but also design an optimized patent protection strategy for themselves to acquire an adequate protection for their patent right in China.

Guidebook Highlights

China's Guidebook for Pharmaceutical Patent Protection provides a comprehensive and thorough knowledge of the Chinese patent system relating to pharmaceuticals, the detailed administrative, civil and criminal judicial pathways for protections of patent right, and the design for composition of optimized protection strategies. The report also presents:

- The organization structure of patent authorities and judicial system;
- A comprehensive and thorough knowledge of the Chinese patent system and the relevant laws and administrative regulations relating to pharmaceuticals;
- The patentable subject matter relating to pharmaceuticals in China;
- Administrative protection for patent right;
- Civil judicial procedures and remedies for patent right;
- Criminal punitions for infringement of patent right;
- Design for compositions of optimized protection strategies;
- Case studies and comparative analyses of patent infringement disputes.