Poised to become an innovative smart city, Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, has beefed up its investment incentives for intellectual property protection.

In the latest implementation plan published through the executive meeting of Guangzhou government in last December, the city committed itself to becoming an intellectual property hub. It will focus on highlighting innovation, translating knowledge into application, completing a protection mechanism, creating a sound service system and becoming a place for high-level talents.

The plan highlights four major tasks, including the deepening of reform in the intellectual property management system and mechanism, implementing strict protection of intellectual property, supporting the creation and application of core intellectual property rights, and establishing bases for talents.

Director of Guangzhou Intellectual Property Bureau Deng Youman delivers a speech at the 2016 annual meeting of the Guangzhou IP Protection Association. [Photo/ gzaudit.gov.cn]

In recent years, Guangzhou has seen an increasing growth in the numbers of patents, trademarks, and copyrights, leading other cities and regions in China.

With a year-on-year increase of 58.8 percent, Guangzhou filed 31,891 patent applications in 2016, topping all other provincial capitals and municipalities. As of 2016, the city has filed 1,642 international patent applications, up by 163.6 percent compared to same period of last year.

In addition, Guangzhou is the first among its peers to pass the assessment to become a national intellectual property demonstration city.

The Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City (SSGKC), based in Guangzhou, received the nod the State Council in July, 2016 to launch comprehensive intellectual reform. It will allow Guangzhou to create a healthy environment for talents and high-tech enterprises.

The reform emphasizes intellectual property rights and their protection, and calls for deepened implementation of the intellectual property strategy to boost the comprehensive development of Guangzhou and beyond.

Guangzhou has formed effective judicial systems and administrative protection systems as well as established intellectual property rights protection assistance centers.