Chongqing
Patent loans
The municipal intellectual property authority recently announced that 34 local companies received a combined 309 million yuan ($49.7 million) in loans using 672 patents as collateral in the first 10 months of last year. The companies work in a wide range of businesses including auto production, biomedicine, machinery and environmental protection. Pharscin Co was granted a 20 million yuan loan after pledging three patents, the biggest IP loan in the city's drug industry.
Chongqing Daily
Sichuan
Service center
An IP service center for privately owned companies recently started operation in Chengdu. Founded by provincial general chambers of commerce, the center provides free IP legal consultation and data searches along with patent, trademark and copyright management and marketing. It will host a series of free lectures for local entrepreneurs on IP laws and started an information hotline.
China Business Times
Shanghai
First IP court case
In the first case heard by the new Shanghai IP Court after its founding on Dec 29, HP Development Co, a subsidiary of the US computer giant, filed a printer cartridge patent complaint against Shanghai Yinjia Trade Co asking for 1 million yuan ($160,772) in compensation. The plaintiff claims the trade firm manufactured and sold a patented HP cartridge without authorization beginning in 2010.
Labor Daily
Beijing
Priority protection
The National Copyright Administration announced it had identified 36 popular films, TV series and programs vulnerable to piracy that will be given priority in protection. Though 59 other works were added to the priority protection list last year, the number is tiny compared to the huge reservoir of online videos, said industry insiders. They again suggested expanded monitoring and increased penalties.
Beijing Business Today
1,000 applications
Smartphone maker Xiaomi and search engine Baidu headquartered in Zhongguancun made the high-tech area's list of IP giants last year by filing more than 1,000 patent applications. Other companies on the list were Lenovo, BOE, Foton and Qihoo, according to the park's administrative committee. By November, companies in the Zhongguancun area had filed more than 36,000 patent applications, up 14 percent. Of them, over 20,000 were authorized, an increase of 6.2 percent.
BEIJING DAILY
Zhejiang
Student inventions
A college student invention patent show that opened in Wenzhou at the end of December will last through mid-January displaying more than 130 products with patented technologies. The designs are intended for a wide range of industries including new materials, healthcare and auto components. Organizers said they hope the event, the first of its kind in the city, will promote industrialization of patents and inspire more innovation.
Wenzhou Business
Hunan
Pirated typefaces
Makefont, a Beijing company specializing in designing Chinese typefaces, recently said that Hunan Satellite TV used two of the company's copyrighted fonts in its "I Am a Singer" series without authorization. The company asked Hunan TV to pay copyright fees and compensation, while the station apologized and said it would follow up the dispute. The program is a reproduction of a South Korean reality show.
Bianewa
Henan
Awards unveiled
The government of Anyang recently unveiled the city's first patent awards. Eight patent holders received 20,000 yuan ($3,214) each and four inventors were awarded 10,000 yuan. Organizers said the awards will be organized every other year to honor a maximum of 10 outstanding patents and five inventors.
SIPO.GOV.CN
