By 2010, 1,250 patents would be filed for every million people, Guangdong Province's intellectual property rights (IPR) office said.

The office yesterday released a strategic compendium for the development of Guangdong's IPR over the next 13 years.

By 2020, Guangdong's IPR development level would reach that of moderately developed countries, according to the compendium, which was drafted and frequently revised over more than two years and included input from various segments of society. It covers protection measures for patents, trademarks, copyrights and other IPR issues.

"The compendium will definitely improve Guangdong's IPR industry and the development of innovation," director of Guangdong Intellectual Property Right Office Li Zhongduo said yesterday at a press conference.

According to the document, the annual growth rate for patented articles is estimated to remain at 13 percent until 2010.

The growth rate for applications for articles invented overseas but patented on the Chinese mainland should be greater than 20 percent.

Registered trademarks are expected to maintain an annual growth rate of 15 percent to reach 200,000 in 2010.

The export volume created by the copyright industry would occupy 25 percent of total export volume.

The compendium also said more than 80 percent of hi-tech enterprises and privately owned science and technology enterprises, as well as 60 percent of large- and medium-sized State-owned enterprises would establish adequate administration systems protecting their business secrets.

In addition, Guangdong's IPR office decided to improve the administrative and judicial climates surrounding IPR protection.

The compendium also said important inventions would be greatly rewarded.

(China Daily, December 7, 2007)