China News Service:
We know that intellectual property pledge financing remains a big concern for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In these difficult times, what measures will the CNIPA take to support financing and renewal of loans to alleviate corporate financial difficulties and support resumption of work and production? Thank you.
He Zhimin:
Thank you for your question and for bringing attention to the financing difficulties SMEs have experienced. As we all know, many SMEs are indeed facing financing strains due to the epidemic. Solving their financing problems is an important task. Intellectual property pledge financing is an effective way to help SMEs, especially technology-based ones, alleviating capital shortage.
In accordance with decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, CNIPA has actively promoted work on intellectual property pledge financing. In 2019, the total amount of pledge financing of patents and trademarks reached 151.5 billion yuan (US$21.6 billion), which helped nearly 10,000 enterprises solve the problem of capital shortage. After the COVID-19 outbreak, CNIPA studied and implemented the guidelines of General Secretary Xi Jinping and decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and State Council through a series of concrete measures. These measures include facilitating services on intellectual property-related business, relaxing deadlines and restoring rights, promoting intellectual property pledge financing, providing services on patent information and optimizing window service.
Regarding support for enterprises' intellectual property pledge financing, we are currently focusing on three areas:
First, we have established a green channel for pledge registration. According to the needs of enterprises and banks, we respond immediately and accelerate processing with an aim to finish online registration within one working day. Enterprises producing emergency supplies for epidemic prevention and control can complete procedures instantaneously. We will never allow the registration process to slow down loans to be used to produce supplies for epidemic prevention and control.
Second, we have organized local administrations to investigate pledge demands and available projects. When we understand demands for patent and trademark pledges related to epidemic prevention and control, as well as the repayment abilities of the enterprises with available projects, we can carry out door-to-door services and make better use of relevant policy tools to actively coordinate the bank's loan dispersal and renewal to those enterprises.
Third, we are increasing policy integration and fostering innovation. Where conditions permit, we encourage local administrations to integrate various support policies such as loan discounts, risk compensation, insurance and subsidies. We also encourage them to innovate methods of the internet and new media project aligning and of policy publicity, and to bring IPR's role in increasing credit and loans to enterprises into full play, thus supporting enterprises' resumption of work and production.
We are happy to find that some local administrations have taken strong measures to promote intellectual property pledge financing. Their efforts are winning great acclaim from relevant enterprises and the whole society. For example, Guangdong Provincial Intellectual Property Administration issued a notice demanding authorities enhance intellectual property pledge financing work to help enterprises to overcome current difficulties. Accordingly, Dongguan City of Guangdong assumed a lead role in support of enterprises. It loaned out 15 million yuan (US$2.13 million) to a medical enterprise with three utility model patents as collateral, greatly relieving its operational pressure and expanding its production capacity. The Intellectual Property Office of Jiangsu Province also has boosted intellectual property pledge financing work. They launched a special program which allowed 37 enterprises to receive pledge loans of 114 million yuan (US$16.25 million) since the epidemic outbreak. There are also many other examples, but I will not list them one by one.
Next, CNIPA will strengthen coordination with local authorities to actively promote useful experience and effective practices. We will fully support qualified enterprises in need of quick financing and contribute to helping them resume and expand production. Thank you.
