Plans are being laid to introduce Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) education to primary schools across the country, a top IPR official said on Monday.

Speaking at an IPR seminar in Foshan, south China's Guangdong Province, Li Yuguang, deputy director of the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO), said the aim is to use Foshan as a model for nationwide implementation of the plan.

Foshan took the lead in IPR education when it introduced the subject to the city's primary school curriculum in 2002.

"China has only 20 years' experience of IPR issues and many Chinese people know little about the situation," Li added.

"Teaching children about IPR is an effective way of spreading knowledge about the issue and preparing the population for developments in the years ahead," Li said.

Education of the young was given the thumbs up by director of the Worldwide Academy of the World International Property Organization (WIPO), Mpazi Sinjela, who also attended the seminar.

WIPO and the State Intellectual Property Office jointly organized the seminar attended by more than 100 WIPO delegates and participants from the around the world and China.

"IPR education is very important. Teaching primary pupils about IPR protection can help stop them from breaking the law and encourage them to become inventors and scientists when they grow up," Sinjela said.

Li also said that China is seeking to expand co-operation with WIPO and other countries to increase awareness of IPR protection.

Also speaking at the seminar was Guangdong's deputy governor, Song Hai, who said that the provincial government attaches great importance to IPR protection.

Bordering the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, Guangdong has historically led China in patent application and trademark registration, Song said, but the province currently lacks personnel specializing in these fields.

Song said his government is now seeking to attract IPR specialists to work in Guangdong.

Song added that the province's Zhongshan and Jinan universities have set up special IPR colleges to train IPR talent.

(China Daily November 22, 2005)