Sponsored by the State Intellectual Property Office and the Liaoning
Provincial Government, the 4-day fair will present more than 500 patents from
over 20 countries and regions, Dalian Vice-Mayor Dai Yulin said at a press
conference yesterday.
Dai said most of the patent technologies and products are to be introduced
from universities and research institutes.
Some are supported by the national-level 863 Programme set by the central
government to promote high technologies in the country.
"The patents with high technologies are vital to the industries in Northeast
China in the country's drive to revitalize the region's economy," Dai said.
Experts said the fair will provide a view of patent development in the
country since it is expected to attract many current patented technologies and
products.
To help market the patented items, the fair will provide financial support
and other services to those seeking partners to industrialize the patents, Dai
said.
During the fair, an International Intellectual Property Protection Forum will
also be held. Experts from home and abroad will exchange their ideas and
achievements in the field.
At the same time, a consulting service will be available to provide
information and advise those facing potential or pending patent disputes.
According to a document released at the press conference, the State
Intellectual Property Office received 308,487 requests for patents, including
1171 applications from abroad in 2003, an increase by 22 per cent compared with
the previous year.
Among them, 182,226 patents have been granted, a 37.6 per cent increase
compared with the previous year.
On the other hand, many applicants of the 800,000 patents granted so far in
the country need assistance in converting their ideas into marketable products.
Meanwhile, Chinese officials and experts urged Chinese exporters to be more
attentive to intellectual property rights protection.
They made the call as some nation's stricter IPR standards could create
problems for exports of Chinese high-tech products, which have increased rapidly
in recent years.
Teng Fei, a senior researcher at the Development Research Centre of the State
Council, pointed out that China had "faced an increasing number of technical
barriers that concern IPR protection over the past few years."
The best way to solve the increasing number of IPR cases is to strengthen
research and to develop our own IPRs and patents, Teng said.
