City to enhance IP international cooperation

Shanghai will enhance international cooperation to develop a highland of intellectual property protection, Vice Mayor Chen Qun said on Tuesday.

“IP protection supports urban competitiveness and the ability of IP protection can show the city’s governance capacity,” Chen said.

Shanghai has moved up from 11th to ninth in the top 100 science and technology clusters in the latest Global Innovation Index issued by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Last year, 82,800 items applied for invention patents in the city and over 24,000 applications were approved, an increase of over 16 percent and 6.48 percent year on year. The number of invention patents per 10,000 residents was 60.21, making the city the nation’s second-highest among provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in the index.

In 2020, the number of intellectual property cases heard by local courts had grown by over 70 percent and those tracked down by police had increased by 15.7 percent. Local customs seized over 4.3 million fake products of 17,000 batches last year, ranking the top nationally.

By cooperating with WIPO, local universities and schools, the city will strengthen international IP education during the following years, Chen said.

The Shanghai International College of IP was established in 2016. The first batch of 178 postgraduates with 93 foreigners from 38 countries and regions graduated last year. Seven Chinese students got a six-month practical experience in at WIPO headquarters in Switzerland, said Rui Wenbiao, director of the city’s Intellectual Property Bureau.

Shanghai will also hold more high-level international forums and conferences, assist foreign law enforcement and support the international legal rights protection of IP, Chen said.