An overhaul of the intellectual property management system will be implemented in the Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City (SSGKC), a new satellite town in Guangzhou, according to a circular issued by the State Council on July 18.

The State Council calls for stronger protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) and more active IPR market in the reform experiment zone in the capital city of South China’s Guangdong province.

“Reform of intellectual property management should be an impetus to innovation and entrepreneurship in China,” the circular says.

Started in June 2010, the zone is a new project of Sino-Singapore cooperation. It will serve as “a strategic development platform and a model for economic transformation and industrial upgrading,” according to its official statement. The State Council says it should be built as an innovation-driven area, exploring intellectual property management for the whole country.

The State Council calls on the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) and Guangdong provincial government to address potential problems during the reform. Other departments in the government are also urged to offer support.

The Guangdong provincial government should lead the systematic and collaborative reform and build the IPR service center in the zone, according to the State Council. It adds that the government should be tolerant of mistakes and borrow from advances in international IPR management.

The State Council urges SIPO to supervise the reform and evaluate it at an appropriate time.

In the future, SSGKC will become “the model of intellectual property management for China,” the circular says.