“If data is flour, then data intellectual property is the dough kneaded with unique techniques, or even the various breads and pastries,” explained an official from the Zhejiang Provincial Administration for Market Regulation (Provincial Intellectual Property Office) at a press conference on the reform of data intellectual property in Zhejiang on the afternoon of September 23, using a vivid metaphor to illustrate the concept of data intellectual property.
As one of the first national pilot zones for data intellectual property reform, Zhejiang has innovatively established a data intellectual property system, forging a new path to protect data rights, promote data circulation, and realize data value. To date, the province has cumulatively accepted over 58,000 applications for data intellectual property registration, enabling value realization exceeding 9 billion RMB.
Reporters learned at the conference that Zhejiang has introduced several key initiatives in the field of data intellectual property. For instance, addressing the “difficulties” of unclear data rights, Zhejiang took the lead in incorporating the data intellectual property system into two regulations, Regulations on Intellectual Property Protection and Promotion in Zhejiang Province and Regulations on Optimizing the Business Environment in Zhejiang Province, which explicitly stipulate the registration of data intellectual property.
The registration certificate serves as preliminary proof of holding the data collection and preliminary evidence for circulation transactions, benefit distribution, and rights protection. By issuing “ID cards” for data intellectual property, the rights of data processors are safeguarded, thus providing motivation for innovation. Since the registration was launched in June 2023, it has attracted enterprises, universities, and research institutions from 27 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) across the country to submit 58,000 applications, with 24,000 certificates issued.
Addressing the “obstacles” in data circulation and reuse, Zhejiang launched the “Shuzhitong” platform in April 2024. This platform integrates notarization and depository, registration services, operation and trading, benefit distribution, and rights protection, and has become the central hub for data intellectual property circulation.
The platform is connected with 27 trading platforms including those in Shanghai and Shenzhen, and has attracted nearly 200 professional data merchants. It has formed a market operation ecosystem of “enterprises placing orders, the platform dispatching orders, and data merchants accepting orders.” Since its launch, the platform has publicized 7,479 pieces of intent information and facilitated the adoption of 1,792 applications with a transaction value of 5.35 billion RMB, achieving a success rate of approximately 24%.
Addressing the “perplexity” regarding data value realization, Zhejiang has successively innovated ten conversion methods, including trading, licensing, credit-enhanced financing, and asset inclusion in balance sheets. In terms of credit-enhanced financing, Zhejiang launched the “Data Intellectual Property Loan” financial product, through which 231 enterprises have obtained credit-enhanced financing totaling 8.49 billion RMB, with the single largest amount being 200 million RMB. Regarding data asset inclusion in balance sheets, Zhejiang, in collaboration with fiscal departments, has established a collaborative mechanism for the whole-process management of data intellectual property and data assets. Currently, 117 data intellectual properties have been included as data assets in balance sheets, amounting to 47.21 million RMB.
Seizing the development opportunity presented by “AI+,” Zhejiang recently took the lead nationally in issuing Guidance on Data Intellectual Property Registration Applications in the Field of Artificial Intelligence in Zhejiang, aiming to address challenges such as insufficient supply of high-quality AI training data and limited application scenarios through institutional innovation.
[https://www.zj.gov.cn/col/col1229631750 ... c8705.html]