Provincial IPR operation center unveiled in Wuhan zone

Leaders witness the unveiling of the the Hubei Automobile Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Operation Center on April 24. [Photo provided to en.whkfq.gov.cn]

The Hubei Automobile Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Operation Center was unveiled in the Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone (WEDZ) on April 24.

The new center will help enterprises and clusters like the Wuhan-Xiangyang-Shiyan-Suizhou automobile industrial cluster, which is led by WEDZ. This specific cluster has been awarded the title of national advanced manufacturing industrial cluster.

The automobile industry is typically IPR-intensive, which is why the new center will gather high-end innovative factors to enhance its ability to create, protect and apply auto-related IPRs.

The center is expected to enter a trial phase in August of this year, and will officially begin operation in the beginning of 2024. Additionally, an IPR big data platform, a high-value patent cultivation center, a project incubation camp, an IPR operation pool, and a concept verification center for the auto industry are expected to be established in the center.

In 2022, 2,425 invention patents that were filed in WEDZ have been authorized, and the number of invention patents per 10,000 people in the zone reached 104.6. This is far higher than the average of other national economic and technological development zones.