Although the free-trade zone in Shanghai only accounts for less than 0.5 percent of the city's area, it has begun making a name for itself since it was established last September for its pilot policies and systems, including innovations in the field of intellectual property.

Lyu Guoqiang, head of the Shanghai intellectual property office, told China Intellectual Property News that they have not seen many challenges in the IP system so far, but they "may emerge in the future as the zone operates".

So, the city's IP authority will "keep an eye on the global development trend of IP, study related international treaties and borrow experience from other free-trade zones in the world", he said.