Cui Ning

Officials in charge of science development have reiterated that domestic firms and research institutions have weak IPR awareness and capacity.

The firms and institutions also admit this shortcoming themselves.

Yet, IPR and scientific officials are working hard to help enterprises enhance IPR protection.

The State Intellectual Property Office has already launched patent protection programmes among large firms in Beijing, Shanghai and 20 other provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions.

This year, the office will tighten supervision on patent systems in those regions, China Daily was told.

Patent protection will be especially linked to nationally significant scientific projects, such as information technology, computer software, electronic motor vehicles, the milk industry and water-saving agriculture, according to the office.

The Ministry of Science and Technology, which is responsible for guiding the policies of research institutions and technological firms, is pushing forward the Regulation of Enhancing Intellectual Property Protection on National Scientific Programmes, to further plant IPR concepts among these firms and institutions.

Under the regulation, research institutes and technological firms must have a complete IPR system before being able to undertake nationally important scientific projects.

The regulation aims to encourage and safeguard technological innovations, and targets the better commercialization of new technologies, said Zhang Jing'an, director of the ministry's Department for Policy, Regulation and System Reform.

Research institutes and technological firms should have special departments, staff and funds for intellectual property protection when undertaking new scientific projects.

The regulation requires research institutes to investigate domestic and overseas patented technological projects to avoid duplication.

And they must stop or readjust scientific plans if their targeted research projects have been patented by any domestic or overseas institutes.

Many research institutions and technological firms have developed advanced technologies, but have not applied for patent protection due to their ignorance of IPRs, according to Zhang.

From now on, research institutes which undertake cutting-edge scientific projects will receive government subsidies when applying for patents in foreign countries.

Researchers are also required to take part in IPR training courses before they get involved in technological projects, the regulation states.

Sources from the State Intellectual Property Office said domestic companies still concentrate on low-level patent applications, such as traditional Chinese medicine, soft drinks and food.

They should make greater efforts to develop patented technologies in such fields as optics, information technology, wireless transmission and mobile communications, said the office's spokesman.

The Ministry of Science and Technology is advising the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council to draft a law for the protection of IPRs covering biological and information technology. The ministry is also proposing to better protect IPRs over large instruments and animals used in experiments related to State-level research programmes.

Scientific departments which undertake the country's high-tech projects and other significant scientific programmes, are required to submit IPR protection strategies before they apply for project implementation, according to the ministry.

(China Daily 06/14/2004 page5)