The 2026 Intellectual Property Publicity Week event. [Photo/Tide News]

Hangzhou has launched a new package of intellectual property measures aimed at accelerating artificial intelligence innovation and strengthening legal protection for tech companies.

The announcement was made on April 27, during the city's 2026 Intellectual Property Publicity Week event at the National AI Application Pilot Base.

The newly released Measures on Empowering AI Innovation Through Intellectual Property Protection in Hangzhou set several targets for 2026, aiming to have more than 33,000 valid AI-related invention patents and over 18,000 registered data intellectual property rights.

To help AI firms move faster, Hangzhou has expanded its patent pre-examination system, increasing the number of AI patent reviews by 25 percent while cutting average authorization times by more than 80 percent. The city has also cultivated over 18,000 high-value patents.

To support small and medium-sized enterprises, Hangzhou announced a month-long IP support campaign. More than 100 specialists will provide on-site consulting services for 1,000 tech companies.

Meanwhile, the Hangzhou Intermediate People's Court released a legal guide addressing AI-related risks such as copyright disputes, while local regulators, courts, prosecutors and police signed a joint enforcement agreement to strengthen coordinated IP protection.

Hangzhou is also exploring new models for turning intellectual property into financing assets. The city has already pioneered data-IP-backed financing, including a 50-million-yuan ($7.35 million) loan secured by healthcare data rights and China's first data intellectual property trust and related asset-backed securities product.

The Zhejiang (Hangzhou) Intellectual Property Innovation Industrial Park. [Photo/Tide News]