Protecting IPR in China to be made easier, official says

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China will continue to step up efforts to protect intellectual property rights, with the aim of making it easier and cheaper for innovators to safeguard their rights, the IPR chief said on Sunday.

Shen Changyu, Commissioner of the State Intellectual Property Office, told reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing Two Sessions that administrative law enforcement will be strictly carried out, particularly in the fields of social affairs, the Internet and safety issues.

Commissioner of the State Intellectual Property Office, Shen Changyu, responds to social concerns at the “Ministers’ Passage” of the Two Sessions on March 12, 2017. /CFP Photo

The number of patent disputes reached nearly 50,000 last year, up 40 percent year-on-year, he said.

In 2015, China filed a record one million patent applications, the most by any country within a single year.

"China has already become a powerful economy in terms of intellectual property, but there is still space to better use innovations," Shen said.

He added that his office will establish a scientific mechanism to distribute the profits from innovation to benefit more innovators.

Zhang Mao, Minister of State Administration for Industry and Commerce attends a press conference on March 10, 2017. /CFP Photo

Minister of State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) Zhang Mao also highlighted IPR at a press conference during the Two Sessions period on March 10.

Zhang pledged China will improve its legal system and establish an information publicity system to promote supervision on IP protection.

(With inputs from China Daily)