A state-level intellectual property rights (IPR) center will be set up in Qianhai by the end of this year, Shenzhen’s market and quality supervision commission announced Friday.
The Shenzhen commission recently received official approval from the State Intellectual Property Office to set up Shenzhen’s first IPR center to help preserve rights for new energy and Internet industries.
The center will settle in Qianhai in western Shenzhen, said the commission. Currently, preparations for the construction of the center are under way. The center’s main venue is expected to be completed by Nov. 30 and will be officially inaugurated Dec. 25.
Shenzhen is a city with huge demands for patent application and confirmation, and legal rights protection, especially in strategic emerging industries such as Internet and new energy.
This March, the Shenzhen Municipal Market and Quality Supervision Commission proposed the establishment of an IPR center for Internet and new energy industries, expecting to cater to other industries in the future.
Kuang Bing, head of the commission, said that the department is now working with the Qianhai Authority to choose a site and map out a blueprint for the center. The commission is also in the process of recruiting experts and staff members.
Kuang said that Shenzhen’s development of the IPR center will be significant in providing efficient greenways for patent applications.
Enterprises and individuals that have registered with the center will have their patent applications dealt with more efficiently, according to Kuang.
For instance, the period to assess and confirm an invention patent will be shortened to one year, and the assessing time for utility model patents will be around one month, while it will only take 15 days to process industrial design patent applications.
Additionally, the center will develop a mechanism for handling applications to invalidate patents, reassessing patent applications and carrying out training and consultancy on infringement judgments.
To streamline the process of handling infringement cases, the center will also attempt to resolve fake patent application and design infringement cases within 10 days. Meanwhile, the center will also help preserve the rights of Internet and new energy enterprises.
Kuang explained that the center will gather judiciary and social service institutions to help registered enterprises preserve their legal rights.