1 Beijing

New textbook standards unveiled

The central government recently drafted new standards for paying copyright holders when their works are collected into textbooks. Set to take effect next month, the regulations require publishers to pay a writer 300 yuan ($49.3) for every 1,000 Chinese characters, 300 yuan to use a piece of music and 200 yuan for a picture - 400 yuan if it appears on the cover.

People's Daily

2 Shaanxi

Xi'an founds arbitration institute

The first video copyright arbitration center in China was recently founded in the provincial capital Xi'an. Dang Lei, director of the center, said the organization will provide services such as contract management, commercial negotiations and IP rights consultation. It will also set up fair, convenient and confidential conciliation procedures, as well as flexible arbitration proceedings, to promote the healthy and sustainable development of the nation's film and television industry.

CCDY.CN

3 Shanxi

Local ceramics biz gains protection

Yingxian county recently added a new trademark with geographical indication status in the ceramics industry as the result of years of efforts by the local government to improve the industry's output capacity. The county in Shuozhou city has 16 production lines manufacturing ceramic products with 1.2 billion yuan of investments. Local companies in the industry can provide about 3 percent of the country's total output in ceramic products for daily uses.

Shanxi evening news

4 Hubei

Wuhan pilot for patent insurance

The provincial capital Wuhan was recently listed as one of the first 20 national pilot cities for patent insurance. Under the new policies, if a company buys the insurance, provided by the People's Insurance Company of China, the government pays 70 percent of the premium. Ten local companies have purchased insurance for a total of nearly 100 patents. The city will also add insurance for patent agents as well as patent infringement insurance in the future.

Wuhan Evening News

5 Shanghai

Evonik expands R&D base

German chemicals company Evonik recently invested more than $30 million in the third expansion of its R&D center in the city. The new five-story building covers an area of more than 14,000 square meters, housing 50 labs, conference facilities and a showroom. The center will help develop product applications and provide technology service for customers in Asia. It is also the first Evonik building worldwide to be awarded the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

6 Zhejiang

Customs exhibition held

Chinese customs recently opened a large exhibition center to promote intellectual property protection in Yiwu city. More than 200 counterfeit commodities seized by customs officials nationwide were displayed in the 500-square-meter center, ranging from motorcycles and freezers to needles and batteries. The center also includes several functional areas for interactive facilities, such as touchscreens as well as true-or-false identification games.

CUSTOMS.GOV.CN

(China Daily 11/06/2013 page17)