Handan, a city of Hebei Province, has recently be recognized as one of the pilot cities for a national intellectual property (IP) program in China, as introduced by Handan municipal IP Office. It is said that the good news will give an impetus to the most-expected fast development of the city's capacity in IP creation, utilization, protection and administration.

The national pilot program aims to build up a multi-layer regime in a group of cities which would then play an exemplary role in promoting local IP development. As the third such city in Hebei following Shijiazhuang and Tangshan, Handan will get the same policy and financial support as its peers and will be maintaining its status as a pilot city under the program from January 2013 to December 2015, with a specified goal to improve its ability in IP exploitation.

Handan municipal government has been attaching great importance to IP development. By issuing a series of guidelines, such as opinions on strengthening patent cultivation in businesses and measures for the administration of patent specialized funds and patent collateralized loans, the city's competent authorities strive to promote a harmonized approach among scientific creation, IP development and industrial growth, aiming to fully demonstrate the supportive role of IP system in the transfer of economic development mode.

Due to those efforts, Handan has become more competent than ever in IP sector. There have been 3,631 patent filings and 2,315 grants during the eleventh Five-Year Plan period, and over 1,800 patent applications in 2012 alone, up 36% on a year-on-year basis. The city's IP office has also been awarded by the State Intellectual Property Office for its outstanding performance for four consecutive years.

(Source:IPR in China)