The Ministry of Science and Technology released a regulation entitled "the Regulation of Enhancing Intellectual Property Protection on National Scientific Programs" that aims to encourage and safeguard technological innovations. It also targets greater acceleration of the commercialization of new technology.

Research institutes and technological firms should have special departments, staff and funds for intellectual property protection when undertaking new scientific projects.

The regulation requires research institutes to investigate patented domestic and overseas technological projects to avoid duplication.

And they must stop or readjust scientific plans if their targeted research projects have been patented by any domestic or overseas institutes.

In the past, some academic institutes carried out projects that duplicated work elsewhere due to their ignorance of intellectual property protection, sources from the ministry said.

Research institutes that undertake large scientific projects of international importance will receive government subsidies when applying for patents in foreign countries.

Researchers are also required to take part in training courses focusing on intellectual property rights before they begin technological projects.

State-owned firms and academic institutes lacked awareness of intellectual property protection for many years.

Many academic institutes still place too much effort on publishing academic papers of new technologies instead of applying for patent protection and commercializing their research results, according to Tian Lipu, vice-commissioner of the State Intellectual Property Office.

Domestic companies still concentrate on low-level patent applications, such as traditional Chinese medicine, soft drinks and food.

They should make greater efforts to develop patented technologies in such fields as optics, information technology, wireless transmission and mobile communications, said Tian.

China implemented the Patent Law in 1985 and the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) has received more than 1.62 million patent applications since then. Domestic applications account for 83 percent while foreign ones comprise 17 percent, according to the latest SIPO statistics.

A total of 116 countries or regions have registered patent protection applications in China and Japan applied for the most patents in China last year.

(China Daily May 12, 2003)