With a newly established intellectual property rights (IPR) center, east China's economic booming Jiangsu Province will soon have an unprecedented IPR strategy for its next five-year plan to ensure its development is on an ethical and healthy track.

China Daily has learned the Jiangsu University Intellectual Property Right Research Institute, set up late in July, is outlining a trailblazing IPR scheme for its 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-10).

According to Tang Heng who works at the institute, she and her colleagues are keying in on four aspects: creation, protection, utilization and personnel cultivation in the field of intellectual property rights.

"In the creation of intellectual property rights, for example, we urge high-tech enterprises to produce their own new products instead of processing according to others' samples," Tang explained.

"And we also suggest that local governments draft regulations to protect the intellectual property rights of enterprises, and enterprises put IPR strategies into their comprehensive development strategy," she said.

A large number of IPR expert personnel are needed for both enterprises and the government, she added, with plans of cultivating such professionals.

Tang said officials hope to finish the five-year plan outline this September, and then ask for expert opinions.

The outline will be handed over to an IPR provincial conference this October, where officials from different government departments will discuss whether to approve it.

The institute was established by the Science and Technology Department of Jiangsu University in Zhenjiang.

Its 20 members all come from Jiangsu University, and most are teachers engaged in IPR research.

Academic board

Additionally, it has invited many professors, experts and officials to be members of its academic board, including those from Peking University, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing University, Southeast University and the Intellectual Property Bureau of Jiangsu Province.

"We will invite more experts to be our academic board members in the future," Tang said.

Four research departments have been set up, involving intellectual property affairs, intellectual property management, intellectual property laws and intellectual property information.

The first department provides consulting services for enterprises, like brands and patents application.

The second will counsel enterprises and government on IPR management and strategy.

The third offers legal consultancy services and will cooperate with the Nanjing Knowledge Law Office to help those who are in trouble with IPR problems.

And the fourth - together with the information search centre of Jiangsu University - provides information and creates databases for enterprises and governments.

"Our target is to set up a school of intellectual property in the future," Tang said

(China Daily August 6, 2004)