Shanghai, a leading industrial and commercial city of China, saw booming patent applications in the first 10 months this year.

According to the municipal committee for science and technology, the city recorded 18,301 patent applications in the January-October period, up 47.3 percent over the same period last year and 23 percentage points higher than the national average increase rate for the first 10 months this year.

A record 4,797 patent applications were for inventions, rising by 64.4 percent on a yearly basis. The figure accounted for 10.62 percent of the national patent applications for inventions.

The city granted 14,841 patents in the first 10 months this year, up 164.3 percent over last year's corresponding period and 2.2 times the figure for last year.

Of the total figure, 707 patents were for inventions, a year-on- year rise of 157.1 percent and 2.1 times the figure for last year.

The increase in patent applications is attributed to the establishment of a mechanism which encourages inventions and protection of intellectual property rights in the city, a source with the city's science and technology committee said.

Currently, a network for protecting intellectual property rights and patented products research achievements has been set up in local enterprises, schools of higher learning and research institutes. Legal advisors have been invited to guide people in applying for a patent and how to protect their patents.

Over the past year, local enterprises launched 403 patent competitions, with more than individual inventors being awarded.

Patent applications lodged by local enterprises reached 14,305 last year, the number one in China.

(Xinhua News Agency December 6, 2003)