Shanghai’s city government opened China's first
patent exchange centre yesterday to promote inventions and sales of
patents by linking inventors with investors.
"The centre will also help firms reinforce their
management of intellectual property and so sharpen their
competitive edge both at home and abroad," said Li Yaoting,
director of the centre.
The number of patent applications has rocketed in
the last few years, in keeping with the growth of China's economy,
and there were more than 20,000 last year alone.
However, many individual applications did not come
to fruition because of a lack of cash or knowledge.
The building, in Yangpu District, has a patent
exhibition hall and will provide a platform for the exchange and
use of patents, copyrights and trade marks, said Xu Zhanglin,
deputy director of the Shanghai Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
Administration.
A special exchange network would open in June to
put inventors in touch with potential investors, making it more
likely that products will actually reach the shops.
Yesterday's inauguration was part of a citywide
campaign to protect IPR, and chimed with today’s World Intellectual
Property Day.
"Setting up the centre will give an impetus to the
creation of more patents and their efficient use," said Xu.
Over the past four years, the city has received 1
million patent applications, equal to the amount it had between
1985 and 2000. In 1985, the city had only 806 applications, whereas
last year saw 20,471.
Gu Yonghua, spokesperson for the Shanghai IPR
Administration, said 70 percent of applications came from
enterprises and 30 percent from individuals.
"This is because Shanghai has more foreign-funded
ventures and provides a favorable policy environment," Gu said.
About 80 percent of the enterprise patent
applications have been implemented, but only 10 percent of
individual patents, because the owners lacked funds or did not know
how to implement them.
IPR experts said the city should reinforce efforts
to further raise people's awareness of patent protection and use by
making the patent system better known.
In the past 20 years, the administration has
handled 407 patent cases, 93 percent of which have been
settled.
(China Daily April 26, 2005)