Xiamen, a city in Fujian Province, will carry out an appraisal for the first time to award organizations and individuals that have made prominent contributions to invention creation and patent enforcement in the city. The evaluation is planned to be held annually.

Director of Xiamen Municipal Intellectual Property Office Xu Wendong explained the Regulations on the Promotion and Protection of Patent in Xiamen Special Economic Zone, which got approved by the Standing Committee of the city's People's Congress last October and have taken effect on February 1 this year. 

According to the Regulations, Xiamen will deploy special funds in municipal and district governments to provide financial guarantee to the development of patenting activities. 

The municipal government will also set up a series of patent awards to encourage influential organization and individuals in invention creation and patent enforcement, said the legislative document. The appraisal will be organized once every year and the prizes will all come from the special funds mentioned above. 

Currently, the funds and the appraisal are still in preparation. The first batch of patent awards will be granted within this year. [Chinese version is available on xmnn.cn]

(Source: IPR in China)