Chongqing has taken a series of measures to encourage and stimulate local enterprises to file international patent applications.

Four batch of famed experts and specialists were organized to help over 200 listed firms and firms to be listed soon review and evaluate their patent applications and also guide them to handle issues on information disclosure rules, overseas patent early warnings and judicial strategies on patent lawsuits.

Based on statistics from analyzing patented products of 100 main export entities, relevant departments encouraged another ten promising entities to submit applications for their innovative products in foreign countries. As of now, over 300 international patent applications in the city have been filed under PCT.

The governmental departments pledged to establish a patent service platform for international applications to help export entities to learn international IP rules by creating a patent data base on main target countries such as Brazil and countries in Southeast Asia, compiling a collection of IP rules and provisions of six countries and regions including Japan and European Union, and inviting famous law offices and IP agencies of the U.S. and Australia to cooperate with local agencies.

In the past two years, 3.98 million yuan worth of financial support were rendered to 263 enterprises for their applications under PCT and their invention patent applications.

In addition, since a special fund was established in 2009 by the Central Government to support international patent applications, 25 local enterprises have secured 4.58 million yuan worth of subsidies for their 125 international patent filings. In 2011 alone, 19 local enterprises secured a total of 1.31 million yuan worth of subventions for their 53 patent applications. [Chinese version is available on cq.gov.cn]

(Source: IPR in China)