June 24 (China Daily) --Many Chinese startups are proactively seeking guidance on intellectual property, said Li Yantao, deputy director general with the Patent Examination Cooperation Jiangsu Center of the Patent Office, under the State Intellectual Property Office.
The Suzhou National High-Tech District, located in the west of the city, is home to more than 70 IP-service organizations that provide comprehensive IP services to companies locally and nationally.

The center had only about 50 staff members when it was founded in 2012. It today has over 1,500, 92 percent of whom have at least a master's degree. It serves several functions but key among them are patent examinations.

It completed 36,000 examinations in 2013 and 125,000 last year, accounting for 22 percent of the national total.

The center also provides industry-specific IP strategies to local governments and industry associations, based on their IP analyses in particular fields. It also organizes activities to share information about IP.

Sanyou IP Group, which has the country's first and largest private patent law firm, opened a Suzhou office in 2013.

The government's promotion of IP and market dynamics make such services necessary for many Chinese companies, especially in southern China, said the deputy general manager with Sanyou's Suzhou branch, Zhou Da.

Beijing-based Metis IP's founder and president, Long Xiang, said opening a branch in Suzhou was a good move.

Most of the company's Chinese clients are from the Yangtze River Delta area, and Suzhou provides an affordable place to operate. It provides IP monetization, tech consulting and litigation support to domestic and international companies.

The market is growing and shows great potential as more Chinese companies are going abroad and foreign companies invest in China, Long said.

The company's elite professionals are well-versed in IP laws and practices in both China and the United States, he said.
Metis IP also acquires IP ownership through providing services to startups, universities and researchers, and trades IP internationally. Its Suzhou office employs 34 but hopes to hire up to 40 more by July.