To raise overall awareness of intellectual property rights in China, the nation's top IP authority carried out activities to promote intellectual property-related services in cities across the country this year, with the final phase wrapped up in Shandong province last week, following those in Henan in September and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region from Oct 18 to 19.

"Setting sights on mass entrepreneurship, innovation and the Belt and Road Initiative, these activities focus on tackling specific problems and barriers faced by enterprises and entrepreneurs when it comes to intellectual property protection, as well as exploring ways to incorporate intellectual property into industrial development," said He Hua, deputy head of the State Intellectual Property Office, in Weifang, Shandong province.

He said that by sharing cases related to intellectual property rights, policies and the latest news about patent applications, these activities also aimed to cultivate a professional team that can provide efficient public services in the field of intellectual property rights.

Shandong aims to have 30,000 people working in the IP services sector by 2020 and the value created by the business is expected to reach 2 billion yuan ($295.2 million), according to a plan issued by the Shandong intellectual property office in July.

As a national demonstration city for intellectual property management, Weifang has been putting IP at the heart of the city's innovation strategy for years.

"Technology has contributed 57 percent of Weifang's economic growth, playing a crucial role in shifting Weifang's economic growth from extensive growth to intensive growth," said Zou Qingzhong, deputy mayor of the city.

The local government encourages enterprises to use patented technologies to boost competitiveness on the world stage.

Companies in the city's high-tech industrial development zone have applied for patents for their nearly 70 globally-advanced technologies.

Zibo, another city in Shandong province, had 3,000 patent applications filed during the first eight months of 2016, a year-on-year increase of 62 percent.

zhaoruixue@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 11/02/2016 page17)