China's central region includes Shanxi, Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei, and Hunan provinces. China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) recently convened a press conference in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, introducing initiatives and advancements in leveraging intellectual property (IP) to boost the rise of the central region in the new era.
Fostering positive innovation environment through comprehensive IP protection
Guo Wen, Spokesperson for CNIPA and Director General of the Intellectual Property Protection Department, detailed efforts to improve the business and innovation environment in the central region. CNIPA has supported the establishment of high-standard national IP protection demonstration zones in Hefei, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, and Changsha, raising the legal governance quality of IP protection. Thirteen national IP protection centers and five rapid enforcement centers have been established across the region. In the first half of this year, these centers handled 3,136 IP protection cases, providing businesses with convenient, efficient, and cost-effective channels for safeguarding their IP rights.
Shanxi Intellectual Property Protection Center offers patent pre-examination services for companies in the new energy and advanced equipment manufacturing sectors. To date, the center has registered 2,698 companies, significantly shortening the patent grant cycle and effectively protecting the IP rights of Shanxi-based companies, according to Wu Xiaoqin, Deputy Director of Shanxi Intellectual Property Office.
Wang Xiaoqing, a second-class counsel at Jiangxi Intellectual Property Office, highlighted that Jiangxi has established 261 grassroots IP workstations across its counties and districts. IP protection has effectively reached the grassroots level.
Anhui has launched a range of measures to develop its administrative adjudication system, aiming for one-stop dispute resolution. Hubei has established a four-in-one policy coordination mechanism for administrative adjudication and initiated pilot projects in 14 cities and counties (districts) to standardize the administrative adjudication process for resolving patent infringement disputes.
Strengthening utilization and enhancing the value of IP
In its ongoing effort to enhance the benefits of IP utilization, CNIPA has guided the central region in steadily advancing the special campaign for patent commercialization and utilization, achieving notable results.
Cheng Yin, Director of Anhui Intellectual Property Office, reported that Anhui has completed the assessment of 33,000 patents from 93 universities and research institutions, with 11,000 patents now available for transformation in a dedicated resource pool. The province has also guided small and medium-sized enterprises in deeply engaging in the revitalization of patents from these universities and research institutions. So far, over 8,000 companies have been involved in this revitalization process.
Wu Feng, Deputy Director of Hunan Intellectual Property Office, said, "In April this year, Hunan completed an assessment of 42,000 patents from universities and research institutions. Central South University achieved patent transformations valued at a total of 200 million yuan during the inventory process."
Liu Huaizhang, a member of the Party Group of Henan Intellectual Property Office, explained that Henan has proactively planned commercialization projects focused on leading companies in key industrial chains, aiming to develop strong IP companies. Henan currently boasts 320 national IP demonstration companies and 921 provincial strong IP companies, ensuring comprehensive coverage of IP in key industrial chains.
Jiangxi has established a coordinated approach across provincial, city, and county (district) levels, developing a comprehensive IP financial policy system that includes pledge loan interest subsidies, financing cost subsidies, and risk-sharing and compensation mechanisms. This coordinated system has paved the way for rapid IP-pledge financing and has led to the exploration and innovation of IP-related financial products and services. From 2019 to 2023, the annual registered amount for IP-pledge financing in Jiangxi increased significantly from 1.2 billion yuan to over 12.7 billion yuan.
Vitalizing regional development with geographical indications
The central region, with its unique location, abundant resources, and favorable environmental conditions, is rich in specialty agricultural products. CNIPA has supported the establishment of 25 national demonstration zones for the protection of geographical indication (GI) products and has advanced the implementation of eight GI protection projects to develop characteristic GI-related industries.
Cheng Hao, Deputy Director of Hubei Intellectual Property Office, explained that the bureau, in collaboration with Hubei Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and Hubei Administration for Market Regulation, has taken a comprehensive approach to promoting the healthy and rapid development of the GI industry. The measures include enhancing brand development, improving product quality, purifying the development environment, strengthening service support, and accelerating industrial cultivation. By June this year, Hubei had registered 165 GI products and 537 GI trademarks, ranking second and fourth in the country, respectively.
Inspired by the "Sangzhi model", Hunan has strengthened policy guidance by integrating GI protection into city and prefecture performance assessments, business environment evaluations, and practical work supervision incentives. The province has also set and amended 41 local standards for GI products and independently developed the "Hunan Geographical Indication Information Inquiry System" to continuously support the growth of local characteristic industries.
Shanxi is prioritizing the development of the GI industry and the implementation of GI protection and promotion projects as keys to forging a new path for transformational development. The "Datong Day Lily", a renowned local specialty, has spurred Datong to actively integrate agriculture, culture, and tourism. This day lily has contributed to an increase of over 4,100 yuan in the per capita annual income of the permanent population in the main producing areas.
Driven by robust initiatives across various areas, the direct annual output value of GIs in the central region reached 239.52 billion yuan in 2023, accounting for about a quarter of the country's total, effectively unlocking regional economic development potential. Moreover, the central region has emphasized enhanced collaboration by establishing a cooperative mechanism for the administrative protection of IP. It has organized various events, such as the High-Value Patent Competition of the Six Central Provinces and the Geographical Indication Brand Cultivation Innovation Competition, aimed at collectively promoting the rise of the central region.