Village in tempest over furniture design patents
22.05.12
Residents making similar products, one files for IP
Patents and innovation are crucial to modern commerce, yet what happens when an entrepreneur files for the intellectual property rights on the products his neighbors make?
The question is causing an uproar in the village of Dongfeng in East China's Jiangsu province.
The locale is informally known as "Taobao village" - a reference to China's largest e-shopping portal. With a population of just 5,000, Dongfeng residents have 3,000 stores online at the site.
Almost every family runs an e-business, most making or selling home furniture.
Yet the flourishing trade faces a challenge from young resident Xu Song, who has filed more than 500 applications for household furniture design patents over the past 12 months. They cover almost all types of furniture made in the village.
Xu said it cost him thousands of yuan to file each application. By the end of last year, he had been granted 37 design patents.
He is now demanding
Source: China Daily