Administrators at innovation hub Zhongguancun in Beijing recently announced the area will develop a cluster of intellectual property services that include legal consultation, IP pre-warning, commercialization, training, certification, testing and brand promotion.
The authority said it also welcomes international standards, testing and certification institutions to open offices and labs in the area, as well as IP-related conferences and exchange programs.
To encourage professionals and firms to locate in the area, Zhongguancun will grant a number of preferential policies including a 500,000 yuan ($79,900) one-time award and a housing subsidy up to 5 million yuan to top IP agencies.
The moves come as IP financing continues to grow, reaching a value of nearly 10 billion yuan over the past two years.
Ruichuang Patent Management Foundation, the first in the nation focusing on patent management and technology transfer, was launched in Zhongguancun on April 25.
Through a partnership between the Zhongguancun administration and the World Intellectual Property Organization, a number of training programs have been held in the area to help local companies expand in the global market and develop overseas patents.
The number of patents filed by local companies grew from 21,800 in 2011 to nearly 40,000 last year. They had more than 28,000 valid patents by the end of 2013, more than 66 percent of the total in Beijing.
At a seminar last month, representatives from both the local government and companies said that IP commercialization is attracting increasing attention.
Zhi Binwei, deputy director of the innovation promotion department at the Zhongguancun administration office, said that many local companies and IP service providers have been exploring innovative methods to manage and use IP.
He said new trends in recent years include an improved policy system, an expanding IP
service sector, stronger IP awareness among companies and increased contributions from IP in the development of industries.
"Only when IP rights are well protected can innovation be commercialized and innovators be encouraged," said Cao Yan, assistant IP manager of domestic telecom equipment and technology giant Datang Telecom Technology Co.
"IP rights can become competitive only when they are integrated with the market and industries," she said, adding that open cooperation is needed to reduce risk.
Chen Ying, a legal specialist at Beijing Xiaomi Corp, said IP is an important asset for a company rather than just a right.
Li Lei, general manager of Zhongguancun-based consultancy firm Unitalen, said his company's job is to "translate" a company's IP management into market actions.
"Growing IP management capability represents excellent performance in the market," said Li.
With nearly 300 IP agencies with more than 3,000 employees in Beijing by the end of last year, "IP service providers should use their resources well to make the business one of the most dynamic industries in the modern service sector in the city", said Li Chishan, general manager of Beijing Strong Wisdom IP Law Firm.
zhangzhao@chinadaily.com.cn
(China Daily 05/07/2014 page17)
