Since its opening in July 2015, the official WeChat account of Shanghai Intellectual Property Court (SIPC) has attracted 4,956 followers, totally posted 158 issues of content and 487 relevant messages, with over 190,000 readings. After two years of operation, the official account has gradually developed into a WeChatcourt account with a stable group of target readers and professional features.

To better adapt itself to the developing trend of new media, and also to better increase its diffusion and influence, and highlight the development orientation of being “professional, international, authoritative and influential”, SIPC has taken full advantage of its own characteristics, platforms, contents and personnel resources to make innovations in opening a series of feature columns.

First, open platforms are established. Three open platforms of “What’s New”, “Live Trials” and “Fast Weekly Review” have been built. The “What’s New” Platform is mainly dedicated to timely release of the latest news of various kinds about SIPC, including important activities, professional seminars, important trials, new types of cases or typical cases; the “Live Trials” Platform provides transparent information about live court trials to be held next week, and previews,through the public WeChat account, those cases of which the court has already applied for a live trial so as to enhance the openness of trials; and the “Fast Weekly Review” Platform provides a brief review of the events of SIPC that happened during the past week, with a view to increasing the transparency of court information, and continuously upgrading the court’s influence by enhancing the depth and breadth of judicial openness.

Second, feature columns are opened up.A new media comic column—“A Comic Outlook” has been established, marking itself the first of its kind in the court system of Shanghai. A group of young police cadres who have a strength and interest in comics are organized to form a “Comic Storytelling” team to interpret by means of comics the typical cases about intellectual property and the feature work of this field done by the court. IP related laws and rules are described to the readers in a direct way and through a variety of expressions, which adds an interesting and attractive touch to the publicity of judicial protection of intellectual property.

Third, judicial achievements are displayed. A special column of “A Glimpse at Investigations” has been established to release professional investigation articles authored by the police cadres of the court, and display the efforts of SIPC to think about and address those new, difficult legal problems found in its trial practice. The column also releases typical and new types of cases. Efforts are being made to define legal standards and behavioral standards through judicial judgment and showcase the public credibility and authoritativeness of justice.

Fourth, brand image is built. The professional image and service functions of the national trial expert—Judge Chen Huizhen’s Workroom is enhanced. A column of “Judge Chen Huizhen’s Workroom” has been established to follow up and post relevant news of the workroom and continuously conduct publicity of the IP protection cases edited by the workroom.