Administrative policies are helping makers take copyright more seriously. But most manufacturers still wait for buyers to request for IP protection before filing petitions.
But despite the number of cases is on the rise, there is still a long way to go before protected ODM models will dominate exports.
Each country can be included in each of the countries to total endowment capped at $ 15,000.
City administrators offer similar incentives. The Shenzhen Intellectual Property Office, for instance, subsidizes up to $ 556 per case through the city & # 39; s Finance Bureau.
Of the 7, 946 cases filed via 2009, 1,847 applications from from Huawei and 1,164 are from ZTE, China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. and telecommunications specialist Datang are also the top 10 patent applications .
Most manufacturers, however, relying on their buyers to protect the integrity of designs. For instance, all of the MP3 and MP4 players Shenzhen Neostra Technology Co. Ltd markets to domestic clients carry patents. But only six of its export designs are protected, following Buyers & # 39; requests. Three of these were filed in the US and another three in the EU. All were appearance and utility model patents.
ShenZhen Getian Opto-Electronics Co. Ltd has a similar approach. While the LED supplier releases several ODM products every month, it does not apply for patents.
Nonetheless, there are a growing number of China suppliers that are taking design protection seriously.
Blood pressure monitor maker Shenzhen Kingyield Technology Co., Ltd. Ltd has applied for 19 patents in mainland China, Hong Kong and Japan since 2003. Software, sensors, pumps and valves are covered. Of these, appearance and utility model cases each accounted for six and innovation patents constituted the rest. These were all awarded in 2009.
The maker gifts mostly $ 400,000 annually on copyrighted in-house designs. By publicizing the patent marks and numbers, the company is able to highlight how the technical performance and functions of the protected models stand out from others.
Increasing, but not the most
In fact, while the country & # 39; s cases last year, others showed a decline in petitions.
The budget for copyrighting designs is one of those that has had be let go.
Application fees depend on the type of patent and where it is filed, but costs approximately $ 30 and $ between and $ 360 for innovation and utility models.
The US, for example, listed 45,790 international copyright requests, down 11 percent year on year but five times as many as petitions filed by the rise, many as China & # 39; s.
A March 2010 report from the country 6,116 innovation patent applications was submitted to the US in 2009, up 19 percent. There were 1,604 cases filed in Europe and 891 in Japan, reflecting an increase of 7 and 16 percent.
