BEIJING, Jan. 16 (People's Daily Online) -- China's Ministry of Commerce and the EU Delegation in China officially launched new cooperation on IP issue in Beijing Thursday, aiming to create better IP environment in both parties' market. In the next three years, China and the EU will further harmonize China’s legal frameworks and practices.

The EU's largest intellectual property agency Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM) will implement the New China-EU Intellectual Property Cooperation over a period of three years.

António Campinos, President of OHIM said according to their statistics, Chinese companies register 2,000 Community trademarks every year, which is one-seventh of that of the U.S.; they are aware that Chinese enterprises are less active when protecting their IP right in the EU market. So OHIM will assist China to turn this situation around for creating a better IP environment. "A healthy trading relationship is based on healthy IP relationship in today's economy," said Campinos.

Along with the EU Delegation, OHIM introduced a series of measures in the new project in order to foster Chinese enterprises' awareness on trademark protection.

The EU will promote China to join the OHIM's Enforcement Database that allows right holders to exchange information online with enforcement authorities such as it helps distinguish fake goods from the genuine.

The EU will also facilitate China to join OHIM global trademark system which contains more than 20 million trademarks data from 35 countries.

Moreover, OHIM will conduct more activities and seminars to spread the message about the value of protecting Chinese IP in the EU.