Hanging out on the street of Dongmen, a garment market in Shenzhen, you will find that you are surrounded by Chanel or Gucci. They are absolutely fake of course but in China, it is easy to spend no more than one hundred RMB to buy a handbag with the logo of any luxurious brand. Many small factories make money by producing and selling fakes.

The situation is changing but maybe only in law. On IP rights protection, the authorities are paying more attention to the relevant laws and last year the revised Chinese patent law came into effect. The idea goes, in order to maintain a healthy market, article 63 of the new Chinese patent law has elevated the fine levels to 200,000 yuan. In the previous Chinese patent law, article 58 and 59, the fines were only 50,000 yuan.[1] This high fine could increase the cost of breaking the law to some extent.

Again, the old foe in China laws is enforcement. Dongmen is thriving and I predict it will continue for a while. These laws above will catch people who produce fakes on a larger scale but catching all the small shops will take a national initiative and sweeping consumer reform.

Let’s see how it shakes out in the next year.

Southern Perspective SZ contributor: Jane Shang

Remember the good ol’ days when you could smoke in the hospital? Well, they are gone. Maybe not as progressive as New York, but a considerable one.  Smoking in China is considered a second sport.

South China’s Shenzhen City plans to fully prohibit the premises of all medical institutions in the city in 2011.

All medical institutions above city and district levels, including military hospitals, will ban smoking from June next year, while community health centers, clinics and private hospitals will impose the ban from December 2010, Yang Guoan, vice director of the city’s health education research institute, said at the meeting.

Anyone caught smoking at these institutions will be fined starting Jan. 1, 2011.

Policies for smoking controls inside the Special Economic Zone are still being studied and the levels of fines to be imposed have yet to be determined.

In addition, all doctors will be expected to record patients’ smoking histories when they visit hospitals for the first time, after the ban is imposed.

I am sure it won’t be missed.

Six months ago Shenzhen removed their once mayor, Xu Zongheng, for “serious disciplinary violations”(China Daily)

Corruption is not uncommon in the ranks of officials but day by day work is being done. A new policy has come about recently:

“Officials whose spouse and children have all emigrated to foreign countries should not take top positions in the Party and government,” said a regulation issued by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Shenzhen committee and the Shenzhen government on Wednesday.

The reasoning behind all this is not to discourage people from moving out of China, but to discourage absconding to those places to in order make off with the big government pay checks.

The Ministry of Commerce has estimated, “About 4,000 corrupt officials fled the country with at least $50 billion between 1978 and 2003.”

How effective will this new policy be? It is hard to say now, but steps are being taken even if they are small ones.

I just moved into a new office in Shenzhen and happened across this little gem.  I have driven past this place a couple times. I never realized what this place was  or rather wasn’t.

It is called St. Mars, but quite similar to the more famous coffee shop Starbucks.  The resemblance is rather close. Same colors, script, umbrellas and even the glass awning over the doors.

My opinion on this is clearly ” hitchhiking” on the Starbucks brand.

Instead of me commenting on this further, I thought I would like to let a friend over at IP Dragon get a hold of this. He is very knowledgeable about IP and Trademark. I believe he could offer a better view on this than i could.

Check him out.

When I first came here,  Hong Kong was a far off land that I skip to on weekends.  Anymore, I enjoy lying low in Shenzhen but every year the line between Hong Kong and Shenzhen blurs more and more.

Shenzhen Continues to Boost Ties with Hong Kong

(2009-06-25)

by: ISinolaw(news)

Wang Rong, Acting Mayor of South China’s Shenzhen City, kicked off his first visit to Hong Kong Tuesday. Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen and Henry Tang Ying-yen, chief secretary for administration of Hong Kong, held a meeting with him.

During the meeting, Wang pledged to push forward cooperation, noting that the cooperation will be the new economic driver for both Shenzhen and Hong Kong in the future.

He said cross-border cooperation was one of the highlights in the Shenzhen Overall Comprehensive Reform Pilot Program approved by the State Council recently, which provided a new opportunity for both cities to advance.

Shenzhen will strive to jointly establish with Hong Kong centers for global logistics, trade, innovation and international cultural creativity, which is the course of action taken by Central authorities to implement the Outline of the Plan for the Reform and Development of the Pearl River Delta (2008-2020), he said.

Both parties also agreed to tighten crackdown on drug trafficking.

The mayor also exchanged views with Tang about stepping up work on the joint development of the Lok Ma Chau Loop, a new checkpoint in Liantang in Luohu District and rail link between the cities’ airports.

I am adding this for people who need some clear direction on how to get this done. I had to go through it and  i might as well share  the info.

Whether you live in the fair city of Shenzhen or coming to do business, transportation will be a concern. While taxis are convenient if you speak Chinese, it might not be the case for all.

If you are coming to SZ for business, it will be mostly likely the supplier/representative you are dealing with that will provide all the transportation you need. They will get you from your hotel to factory and back to the hotel. There will probably be the stop off of dinner or lunch before all that but the end result is your transportation will be taken care of.

As far as renting a car, unless you have a CHINESE DRIVER’S LICENSE you will not be able to drive yourself. Neither would I recommend it unless you been here for a while. INTERNATIONAL DRIVER’S LICENSE is not accepted. End of story。If you spend a fair amount of time here and have a residence/apartment, then the possibility of driving a car in China becomes greater. Ready? Ok:

** Unless you speak Chinese, this can be rather difficult to do. Have a friend with you to make things easier**

Here is what you need BEFORE you go:

1。Resident permit / Temporary permit from your local public security bureau.

-I recommend doing this first, as this can be the most shuffling between buildings/taxis.

-Register with your building management

-Take that sheet/ passport and go the local register office.

-Take the local register office sheet and head to your local PSB and register

-Bring blue background photo for the PSB

2. Copy/Translation of your foreign license :

-This can be done at any SZ notary 深圳公证处:

-福田区深南大道4013号兴业银行大厦 17 楼

-福田区景田路76号天平大厦4楼

-罗湖区红岭中路国际信托大厦4、5楼

-南山区南海大道保利城大厦25楼08室

3. Copy of your Passport and bring it as well!

4. Copy of your Visa

5. 8 more Passport pictures (White background)

-When you get these pictures, they should also provide you a printed and stamped sheet verifying it is really you. It is called a 数码照相回执

6. Filled out copy of Driver’s license application (white passport pic)

7. Fill out Health form for Driver’s license application. (white passport pic)

-To get this filled out, you need to go to Xili Driving center to get it done. Just show up, pay the man and read the chart.

Now you are ready to get your number   and wait for an hour or two.

After everything is processed, you will be sent over to the testing building to make an appointment. You will be given a day to return and then asked to pay the bank across the parking lot to confirm your test payment.

There are only 2 tests a month and you need to get 90% to pass. Remember to study! Here is the link for the test in many languages.