This year's identification for entities qualified for international patent filing subsidies was officially launched in Chongqing, under which, small and medium-sized enterprises, public and research institutions found eligible could receive a financial subsidy of up to 500 thousand yuan, reported from a training conference on patent filings under the Patent Prosecution Highway system on July 3.
The subsidy will come from a fund, which was established by the state treasury in 2009 to facilitate such entities in filing patent applications before competent authorities abroad to protect self-developed innovations.
The fund, which could help to cover a wide range of spending in patenting activities such as officially prescribed fees during the pending period and the three-year term after the date of grant, searching fees paid to patent retrieval authorities and service fees charged by intermediary agencies, will be appropriated by the central finance system, introduced by an official from Chongqing municipal IP office. Since applicants under the system are only allowed to submit filings for each of their patents to five countries/regions at most and each such filing cannot receive an award more than 100 thousand yuan, those proved to be eligible can receive a highest subsidy of 500 thousand yuan.
"Enterprises with indigenous intellectual properties in Chongqing usually find costs in international patent filings prohibitive when seeking to explore foreign market," he said, adding that the subsidizing mechanism is just in place to help them in this regard.
According to the official, the procedures in applying the subsidy have been simplified this year; moreover, the mechanism is now open to more applicants – not only including those who filed their patents under PCT, but also incorporating people applying under the Paris Convention.
Those in need of the subsidy shall deliver their application to the patent administration division of the municipal IP office before August 10, warned by official.
So far, 26 entities in Chongqing have been granted a total of 4.58 million yuan under the system since the establishment of the fund.
(Source: IPR in China)
