The State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) recently announced that four cities and 11 counties in Guangdong Province have been selected as national intellectual property (IP) pilot cities and counties. The pilot program will run from January 2024 to December 2026.

The four cities are Zhuhai, Dongguan, Shantou, and Jiangmen. The 11 counties are Nanhai, Panyu, Shunde, Foshan, Zhongshan, Dongguan, Huizhou, Zhaoqing, Maoming, Zhanjiang, and Yunfu.

Guangdong has been a leader in IP development in China. In 2023, the province ranked first in the country in terms of high-value invention patents, registered trademarks, and PCT international patent applications. The province also ranked first in the country in terms of the number of invention patents granted to its strategic industries.

The province has also been active in promoting the use of IP to support economic development. In 2023, the province's IP-backed financing reached 21.9 billion yuan, exceeding the target of doubling the previous year's level.

In the next phase, Guangdong will focus on supporting the development of new industries, promoting the high-quality development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and strengthening the protection and utilization of IP.

The selection of Guangdong's four cities and 11 counties as national IP pilot cities and counties is a recognition of the province's achievements in IP development. The program is expected to help Guangdong further strengthen its IP protection and utilization capabilities, and to promote the province's economic and social development.