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Measuring the marks of progress

Updated: 2010-07-29 14:59

As a developed coastal economy in east China, Jiangsu was among the first in the nation in 2005 to begin a provincial trademark strategy to aid economic development. It is now “set to promote trademarks in all dimensions and build an advanced province famous for brands”, said He Shoutian, vice-director general of the Jiangsu Administration for Industry and Commerce.

The move is in accordance with a 2009 State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) call for local authorities to advance the national trademark strategy adopted the year before.

The number of domestic registered trademarks in the province now exceeds 230,000. Of those, 38,000 are related to agricultural products, 43 have geographical indications, 173 are well-known trademarks recognized by the SAIC and 2,091 are provincially famous brands. The province also has 740 international trademarks registered under the global Madrid system.

Trademarks, seen as an intangible asset representing quality, technology, management, credit and culture, are an important element in the market value of various types of intellectual property, he added.

With a solid base in traditional manufacturing, the province has a dynamic private sector and an export-oriented economy, yet most local companies lack both awareness of trademarks and motivation for innovation, He said.

As a result government should play a leading role and encourage local industries to value brand-building strategies, He told China Daily.

The authorities have helped establish a number of industrial clusters with a brand-building edge while offering consultancy services on trademark policies to at least 4,000 companies.

The province has also mounted more than 30 campaigns to crack down on counterfeits and enhance trademark protection in recent years.

“In the past, we placed the emphasis on the volume of trademark registrations and number of well-known brands, but now we are increasingly concerned about the utilization of registered trademarks, the declaration of geographical indications and the contribution of enterprises with well-known trademarks,” he said.

Statistics show that well-known and famous trademarks contributed more than 30 percent to province-wide sales, profit and taxes, He noted.