IP service providers showcase products

Vicky Chen, deputy operation director of TekGlory (Beijing) Technologies, introduced her company's new products to visitors during the Patent Information Annual Conference of China 2015 held in Beijing last week.

TekGlory was among scores of intellectual property service providers, including those from overseas, that promoted their products and services at the China National Conference Center.

In a neighboring large conference chamber, an intense audiance was getting a lesson in the latest trends in patent information services and related policies from experts, company executives and senior government officials.

Unlike the academic-like atmosphere in the meeting room, the cluster of IP service providers in the corridor looked more like a crowded, bustling bazaar.

Sales staff at various exhibition stands were trying to persuade visitors with little gifts into scanning their QR codes.

"Now IP service providers face increasingly fierce competition in China, so we have to compete to launch new products as soon as possible," Chen said.

The young industry insider who came to Beijing from Taiwan about three years ago commented on the change in her clients on the mainland. "While most of them knew little about what they could do with the intangible assets, now their requirements are becoming more specific."

TekGlory plans to launch its Patent Advancement Index on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. The index helps investors evaluate the R&D strength of listed companies, Chen said.

The company has already created Forpat.com, a consumer-to-consumer online platform to link patent agents with different technology specialties to potential service buyers.

Similarly, XJCZ Technologies Co, based in Beijing, also runs an online IP service portal, where patent right owners and agencies can connect and find useful information and related tools, said Zhou Yang, sales director of the company.

Unlike the agencies, Zhichuangdawei Science and Technologies Co offers software that helps manage the entire IP process, ranging from its creation to use, said Zhang Yue, a sales manager at the company.

(China Daily 09/23/2015 page16)