An enchanting view of sunset at Shexian county. [Photo/VCG]
Shexian county – located in Huangshan city, Anhui province – was placed on the list of national pilot counties, selected for their development of strong intellectual property rights or IPR, according to statistics released by the China National Intellectual Property Administration on Aug 29.
In recent years, the county has not only improved its protection system for intellectual property, but also promoted the commercialization of its intellectual property advances.
There are four geographical indication products in the county, while 62 enterprises have been approved to use special geographical indication hallmarks, including Huangshan chrysanthemum and Huangshan white tea.
A geographical indication, or GI, is a sign used on products – in an international system sanctioned by the World Trade Organization and other global bodies – that have a specific geographical origin and possess outstanding qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin, like champagne in France.
As of May, Shexian had 8,583 effective registered trademarks and 176 effective invention patents. The number of trademarks has reached 2,400 per 10,000 business entities.