Strengthening protection for intellectual property (IP) is the top priority for technological advancement and establishing proprietary Chinese textile brands, said Du Yuzhou, president of China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC).

Statistics from the China Textile Economic Information website show the sector made products worth a combined 3 trillion yuan during the first 11 months of last year, an increase of 9.71 percent over the same period of 2008 despite the worldwide economic slowdown.

At the same time, the world's textile powerhouse faced a growing number of disputes over intellectual property rights. To forestall future conflicts, an early warning system is planned carry information about foreign corporate IP disputes, according to an official industrial guideline issued in 2009.

A main cause of IP violations is "unconscious infringement" due to low awareness, along with prolonged procedures required for intellectual property registration, according to industrial insiders.

China Textile News cited a statistic from the State Intellectual Property Office that shows a total of 400,000 textile and apparel patents have been filed since the legal framework began, a comparatively small number in relation to the size of their markets and the total number of patent applications in China.

In 2009 alone, authorities received 870,000 applications from all sectors in the nation.

"IP protection in China's textile industry still has a long road ahead," said Xu Kunyuan, vice-president of China National Textile and Apparel Council.

Yet "with enhanced independent innovation and IP protection, our textile industry can maintain a strong competitive edge in international competition", he said.

As one of the 10 key sectors listed in the national industrial development strategy, textiles and garments have received priority support from the central government to encourage self-developed brands and technological innovation.

Spurred by favorable policies, a growing number companies have filed for patents. On example is Nantong Jiayusi Textile Group, which had 88 patents, two registered trademarks and 1,800 copyright certificates by the end of last year.

Among the winning projects of the 2009 State Science and Technology Awards named early this year, six were from textile and garment industry.

 

(Source: China Daily)

2013-07-17