With more than 77,000 patent applications last year, Suzhou has for the first time surpassed Shanghai to rank No 1 among China's cities.

The top rank is the result of the city's innovation-friendly environment, said Liu Chunqi, chief of the city's intellectual property office.

Suzhou has made significant progress in local intellectual property legislation including a revised patent promotion regulation and a policy for granting the status of famous trademarks and protecting them, Liu said.

Since last November, local authorities have investigated about 400 infringements that together had a potential value of more than 100 million yuan and uncovered 52 sites making and selling fake products.

(Source: China Daily)