Shanghai municipal government selected the city's first 20 model enterprises for intellectual property yesterday to encourage more companies to develop patents and trademarks.

The model enterprises, including Baoshan Iron and Steel Co Ltd, Heng Yuan Xiang (Group) Co Ltd and Alcatel Shanghai Bell Co Ltd, own a total of 4,216 patents, an average of 210 per firm.

"These enterprises can offer experience in innovation, brand management and IP development to other companies," said Chen Zhixing, director of the Shanghai Intellectual Property Administration.

He said a total of 100 model IP companies will be selected by 2010.

Patent applications are developing quickly in the city.

A government news conference said yesterday that 32,741 patent applicants were filed in the city last year, rising 59.5 percent from 2004.

Last year, 12,603 patents were approved, up 18.6 percent from 2004.

Although 11,182 companies in Shanghai have applied for more than 80,000 patents over the past 20 years, 88.4 percent of them have applied for less than 10 patents.

(Shanghai Daily April 27, 2006)