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Beilun pays more attention on self-innovation protection

Details: Category: Ningbo District; Published: Tuesday, 26 March 2013 16:54

Facing bottleneck in innovation and R&D as well as more intensive patent wars, Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property in Ningbo is on its way in becoming an important means to strengthen IPR and its ability to defense against risks. In the inaugural ceremony of APIP held on Mar. 12th,autorities from Beilun Science and Technology Bureau said that based on this platform, Beilun would continue to improve its science and technology innovation system by integrating government, industry, university, research and application, further its strategies on IPR and facilitate upgrade of industries.
It is acknowledged that Beilun has been encouraging industries, colleges and universities and patent agencies to establish APIP since 2012. At present, 57 members voluntarily join the association, including enterprises like Haitian and Geely, institutes like Ningbo College of Profession and Technology, and patent agencies like Desheng, putting the idea of integrating industries, universities and application into practice.
“While most associations are initiated by governments, following top-to-bottom pattern; we give more initiative to companies, following bottom-to-top pattern”, said Li Weiping, Deputy General Manager of Geely Holding Group which served as the president of APIP.

Self-innovation has become a common choice for more and more companies in recent years. According to statistics, 90% of patents in Beilun are applied by companies, 90% of patents are formed in companies and 90% of patents in companies are put into practice, thus demonstrate that companies become the main force in science and technology innovation. Both Geely Holding Group and Main Plan Limited rank top 3 in Ningbo in terms of the number of patent application.
Once patents are obtained, companies get the advantage to win market，thus they give high priority to IPR. For example, Stabilo Company in Germany has been suspected to infringe the patent of a highlighter produced in Beifa Group for four times, and finally Beifa Group resorts to law and 25,000 euro is paid to it as compensation through a four-year long oversea lawsuit.
In fact, typical cases as such are not rare in Beilun. Geely Holding Group once was disturbed by the infrigement of auto parts supplyer. Ningbo Port Ini Hydarlic Pressuere Co., Ltd, has sued a company in Zhenhai for infrigement and has been paid 800,000 as compensation. 2012 witnessed exponent increase of IPR consultations in Beilun, indicating that the awareness of IPR has been mounting.
"There are two parts involved in the protection of intellectual propert: encouragement on one hand and protection on the other, each is complementary to the other." said autorities from Beilun Science and Technology Bureau. APIP will continue to give priority to companies in Beilun, expecially the creation, management, application and protection of patents in small and medium-sized companies, facilitate exchange between companies and boost their core competitiveness so as to achive a rapid yet well-balanced economic pattern in Beilun.