Beijing

Alliance formed to improve integrated circuit industry

An intellectual property alliance for the integrated circuit industry was established last week, aiming to consolidate resources along the industry chain. It plans to build a risk control mechanism and help its members improve global patent deployment. The 64 founding members include domestic leading companies, research institutions and service providers in the businesses of integrated circuit design, manufacturing, testing, packaging and material supply.

China News Service

Shanghai

Shanghai expands cultural heritage protection measure

The city government is planning a regulation to provide intangible cultural heritage protection, including an initiative to set up a related major in local colleges and universities. The tourism bureau will develop new tour routes that will highlight local cultural heritage sites. The draft regulation entered into the final stage of the legislative procedure and is expected to take effect with in this year.

Youth Daily

Trademarks, advertisement museum opens in Kunming

The Yunnan Trademarks and Advertisement Museum opened last week in Kunming. Founded by the provincial industry and commerce administration and a local pharmaceuticals company, the museum displays products bearing famous trademarks and geographical indications in the province. The museum is also expected to be a platform for brand cooperation and business exchanges between China and South Asian and Southeast Asian regions.

China.com.cn

Liaoning

Shenyang issues detailed rules for innovation subsidies

The government of Shenyang has issued detailed regulations covering patent subsidies for local small companies and startups. A company will get a subsidy of 80 percent of the patent fee when it acquires an invention or utility patent, and 50 percent of the fee when it renews the patent. Shenyang is one of the first pilot cities in a national program launched in June last year to promote the innovation of small companies.

sipo.gov.cn

High-speed railway IP institute set up in Chengdu

The China High-Speed Railway Intellectual Property Institute has been established in Chengdu by Southwest Jiaotong University and IP service provider CIPRUN Group. The institute will provide IP solutions for government agencies and help Chinese companies in the high-speed railway business with patent strategies. It will also organize training, exchanges and research programs. One of its first major projects will be a high-speed railway IP database.

caijing.com.cn

Patent applications break 50,000 benchmark

Individuals and organizations in Hunan filed 54,501 patent applications last year, an increase of 23.3 percent from 2014, reaching the 50,000 benchmark for the first time. They included nearly 19,500 invention patents, an increase of 34.7 percent. In the same period, more than 34,000 patents were granted, up 27.9 percent, including 6,776 for inventions. About half of the applications were from companies, while universities had the largest increase in the number of applications and granted patents.

Hunan Daily

Guangdong

Trade fair shows products marked with place of origin

Nearly 3,000 products from across China with geographical indications are showcased at a trade fair in Guangzhou that opened on Saturday and will last for a month. The exhibits include fruits, tea, vegetables, aquatic products, traditional medicines, handicrafts and flowers, all marked with their place of origin. The organizer of the event said that although China has abundant resources with geographical indications, their value has been overlooked, and the market for such products needs further development.

China News Service