Beijing unveils two-year Metaverse plan

China is now taking the Metaverse for a big leap. The project is based on the Beijing Urban Sub-Center Metaverse Innovation and Development Action Plan (2022- 2024), which was published in August 2022. The Chinese capital’s innovation plan stipulates that all urban districts should increasingly promote industries and companies that have a connection to the… Continue reading Beijing unveils two-year Metaverse plan

Politics of the Common Good: What Companies Need to Watch Out For

A policy change is underway in China that is causing foreign companies to strategically reevaluate how they do business. The goal of the new policy is to strengthen the common good through more intensive control of markets. The relevant document is the Opinions on Accelerating the Construction of a Single National Market of China of… Continue reading Politics of the Common Good: What Companies Need to Watch Out For

New Data Centers in China: Data from the East, Computing Power in the West

Eight regions in China are to be developed into national hubs for computing power by building 10 national data center clusters: Jing Jin Ji 京津冀 (Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei Province), Changsanjiao 长三角 (Yangtze River Delta), Yue Xiang Ao Dawan Qu 粤巷澳大湾区 (Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau – Greater Bay Area)), Chengyu 成渝 (Chongqing and Chengdu), Inner Mongolia,… Continue reading New Data Centers in China: Data from the East, Computing Power in the West

IP Protection in the Chinese Metaverse

The topic of IP in the metaverse (metaverse) is gaining importance in China. The drivers are the Chinese technology groups, above all Baidu, Tencent, Alibaba, ByteDance and NetEase, which are currently racing against each other with massive metaverse trademark applications. Tencent alone has filed around 100 applications. Baidu, for example, has applied for the term Metaapp as a trademark, Alibaba for the trademark Ali Metaverse, and NetEase for the NetEase Metaverse. NetEase Group’s trademark applications… Continue reading IP Protection in the Chinese Metaverse

IP Protection in New Areas

Intellectual property protection has always been high on the Chinese agenda. For example, the Made in China 2025 strategy aims to transform Chinese enterprises from manufacturers into owners and creators of intellectual property in the global economy. In September and October 2021, China published the Outline of Building an IPR Powerhouse (2021-2035) and the 14th… Continue reading IP Protection in New Areas

China’s Triumph in Robotics

The Middle Kingdom continues to gain ground in the research and development of the robotics industry and can hardly be caught up. This development is clearly visible when looking at the total number of patents in this field. China leads the world in this area by a significant margin, having filed nearly three times as… Continue reading China’s Triumph in Robotics

Is Your Personal Data Safe with Chatbots?

Chatbots are popular in China and are part of everyday digital life. They can be found in business as well as in society, for example in customer service or as social chatbots, a kind of virtual friend of the user. One example is the app XiaoIce, which now has more than 40 million registered users… Continue reading Is Your Personal Data Safe with Chatbots?

Development Partner for Smart Cities

The concept of Smart Cities is gaining importance in many countries. It aims to, significantly improve efficiency and quality in the areas of urban mobility, communication, shopping and living through the use of networked devices, cloud computing and Big Data. China is very successfully combining embedded sensors, meters, cameras and other surveillance technologies with Big… Continue reading Development Partner for Smart Cities

Patentability of Software-Related Inventions

Since patents were traditionally intended to protect technical solutions such as those required for mechanical devices, it is still not possible to obtain a patent for a computer program per se. However, there are ways to include software in a patent application. In 2020, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) revised its examination guidelines… Continue reading Patentability of Software-Related Inventions

IP Due Diligence Reduces Risk of Investments in Startups

Because new technologies such as artificial intelligence, Big Data, the Internet of Things and blockchain are developing rapidly in China, Chinese high-tech startups have become the most popular investment targets for multinational companies. While intellectual property is the greatest asset of these startups, it also poses a high risk to investors. Is its IP protected… Continue reading IP Due Diligence Reduces Risk of Investments in Startups