CHINA ENCOURAGES PATENTING FOR IT COMPANIES: As of this year, intellectual property rights (IPRs) will be a recognized criterion for evaluating technological achievements of companies, the Ministry of Information Industry has announced.

The move aims to stimulate domestic IT firms to develop more independently created technologies under IPR protection, according to the ministry's Electronic IPR Service Center.

With the progress of economic globalization, domestic companies, especially IT firms, are facing tough competition from their foreign counterparts, China Intellectual Property Rights News quoted the center's official Zhang Heteng as saying.

In order to deepen IPR awareness among domestic companies, the ministry set up the IPR threshold and list it as the first benchmark. Companies which fail to pass this threshold will be excluded from further technological evaluation.

Starting this year, companies must obtain patent or copyright registration before they take part in technological evaluation.