IP scene

Beijing

AI competition gets underway

The Artificial Intelligence Competition of China, an event designed for students at junior and senior middle schools across the country, kicked off on March 9, with the final scheduled for Aug 18 at Tsinghua University. The move is part of wider efforts to advance the country's AI industry development promotion plan for 2018-20. Participants compete by team under two categories - the junior middle school students group, focusing on applications and development, and the senior middle school students group featuring data analysis. Each team comprises up to five members, who can be from different grades and schools.

News.china.com.cn

Sichuan

Science academy makes its debut

The China Food and Drinks Fair opens in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, on Thursday, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences is making its debut at the biannual trade gathering, which takes place in spring and autumn each year. Its patented technologies on display are set to be a highlight of the fair, organizers said. The event is estimated to attract more than 3,800 companies from China and abroad this year. They are from industries such as alcohol, food, drinks and spices, as well as food machines and packaging.

Qhnews.com

Chongqing

Brand boost for agro-products

The Chongqing municipal government recently released a new policy to improve the brand development of local agro-products. The policy aims to promote their transformation from traditional to modern agriculture, foster new growth areas and generate growth in the incomes of rural residents. The authorities will issue a manual to instruct farmers in their agricultural production, promote the standardization of technology and enhance quality control to meet national and industrial standards. The government is encouraging leading agricultural businesses, rural cooperatives and family-run farms to increase their brand awareness. That's in a bid to adapt their operations to market needs, satisfy more sophisticated consumer demand and boost the wide use of information technology.

Chongqing Daily

Guangdong

Insights shared on industry trends

The China Intellectual Property Exchange Alliance held its first congress in Zhuhai on March 9, attracting delegates from 81 IP trading centers and service providers in China. They discussed innovations in their business methods, operational mechanisms and related policies. Participants shared their insights into copyrights, trademarks, technology funding and the commercialization of patents. The meeting also released a report on China's patents sector in 2017. The alliance was founded at last year's Guangdong Intellectual Property Expo, as a nonprofit cooperative organization open to various types of IP operations.

China Intellectual Property News

Big fund launched for film, TV sector

A 5 billion yuan ($789.67 million) Chinese film and TV industry fund was set up in Shenzhen in early March. The fund was initiated and is being operated by the China Fengde Movie and TV Copyright Agency and private equity firm Eternale Funds. It will be used to fund movie and TV-related copyrights, as well as film studios, and provide capital for companies in the sector.

Shenzhen Special Zone Daily

Fujian

Culture flagbearers are appointed

The provincial cultural department recently announced the appointment of a new group of 183 people as intangible cultural heritage representatives. The so-called inheritors are involved in various sectors, including Taoist music, wood sculptures, porcelain making, stone sculptures, and the building of traditional dwellings and ships, as well as red tea and oolong tea making techniques.

Quanzhou Evening News

Shandong

Police crack down on counterfeits

Dezhou city police recently announced they cracked a big intellectual property rights infringement case involving goods with a potential street value of more than 20 million yuan ($3.2 million). Police were told in September 2016 that a local man was selling counterfeit Vans sports shoes on online shopping portal Taobao. They established that the man belonged to a group with illegal businesses in 10 provinces nationwide. Police raided the group in January and arrested five suspects.

Dezhou Daily

(China Daily 03/22/2018 page17)