Ningbo included in national program for trade secret protection

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A view of Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/WeChat account: nbfb0574]

Ningbo in East China's Zhejiang province was recently included in a national pilot program regarding the innovation of the trade secret protection system.

Twenty places across the nation were included in the program launched by the State Administration for Market Regulation.

A trade secret is confidential information that provides a business with a competitive edge and is not known to the public. Unlike a patent, trade secrets do not need to be publicly registered.

Ningbo has in recent years made strides in protecting its trade secrets. The city is presently home to six provincial demonstration parks and 57 demonstration stations for trade secret protection, official statistics show.

During the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period, the number of administrative cases of trade secret infringement Ningbo dealt with accounted for a quarter of Zhejiang's total and nearly one third of the nation's total.

Trade secret protection has become a common risk faced by enterprises, according to an official at the Ningbo municipal bureau of market supervision.

He added that strengthening the protection of trade secrets is of great significance to optimizing the business environment, stimulating the vitality and creativity of market entities, and bolstering Ningbo's campaign to become an intelligent manufacturing and innovation hub globally.

The city aims to build a comprehensive trade secret protection service system and create related guidelines that can be replicated across the nation within three years.