IP protection policies and training events help district stay at forefront

To further optimize the business environment, the Xi'an Hi-Tech Industries Development Zone has continued to carry out anti-infringement and counterfeiting initiatives on intellectual property rights.

The zone has worked closely with Shaanxi's IP protection center to set up a protocol for IP applications, reports, and complaints. The zone has also built five IP protection workstations in Xi'an.

There are 63 law firms registered in the zone, all of which include non-litigation mediation services. The zone also houses professional institutions such as the International Commercial Arbitration Court of Xi'an Arbitration Commission and the Silk Road Arbitration Center to resolve disputes between countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

In September 2019, the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission signed a cooperation agreement with Shaanxi, Gansu and Qinghai provinces as well as Ningxia and Xinjiang autonomous regions and the Xi'an council on a long-term promotion of legal services in Northwest China and optimize the region's business environment.

The zone established an IP service alliance involving agencies, law officials, and professionals in information, commercialization, consulting, and training services.

To promote the protection and application of IP rights under the initiative, the zone built the Silk Road Innovation and Entrepreneurship Property Rights Protection Service Alliance.

The alliance's membership has grown to 62 organizations. A bidding platform under the Silk Road alliance also provides legal aid to enterprises in the high-tech zone.

The platform includes more than 200 industry experts, some 50 requests for corporate IP legal services and more than 20 successful bidding transactions.

A separate technical manager association has 109 members and 417 individual members as well as 100 certified technical manager institutions including 32 IP service organizations. It also recognizes 29 intermediate technical managers.

To speed up the rapid integration of scientific research results of universities and colleges with the market, the zone set up the university branch of its technical manager association to organize inventors, industry experts and technical managers to hold special project seminars and matchmaking. A total of 8 projects were organized.

The roadshow activities helped teachers sort out the direction of technology industrialization and work out a preliminary plan for technology transfer and transformation, which effectively improved the efficiency.

The zone also created a Silk Road technology innovation station to carry out IP and technology transfer services.

Relying on more than 130 Fortune 500 companies and well-known multinational companies, the zone is promoting the integration of technology, products, marketing and services of IP enterprises with international standards.

Relying on the large-scale Silk Road technology market platform, an IP training base has been established. It conducts a series of lectures every week to discuss agency applications, patent search and analysis, management, the implementation of standards, legal protection and patent operations.

This year, more than 30 training events related to IPR were held, with more than 1,000 trainees.

The events encouraged enterprises to participate in market competition and respond to IP disputes.

To promote the transfer of patented technology achievements, the technical managers association has hired university lecturers, IP experts and technology transfer professionals to form a team.

It has held 50 activities to promote transfer and help improve technical management.