In celebrating the World Intellectual Property Day, observed annually on April 26, Nanjing has unveiled a circuit court program to improve the legal protection of intangible cultural heritage, the first of its kind in the capital city of Jiangsu Province.  

Nanjing is known for intangible cultural heritage items such as Yunjin brocade, gold foil, and Jinling Buddhist Scripture Printing, an engraved block printing technique. However, inheritors of the unique craftsmanship also encounter IPRs disputes. As a result, Qinhuai District People's Court has opened five circuit courts dedicated to protection of heritage items, time-honored brands and cultural relics including the City Wall of Ming Dynasty.   

Huang Xi, deputy head of the court’s IPRs Tribunal, said the program aims to meet needs of industries, enterprises and practitioners engaged in traditional crafts-making and business innovation inspired by traditional culture.  

In addition to the new program, Huang also said the IPRs Tribunal has also entered into a cooperation mechanism with the district’s IPRs and judicial bureaus, providing the resolution of IPRs disputes through mediation in a more efficient manner. 

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