The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) exercised true leadership when it began to provide products and technology to the public free of charge.
As a national institute and the leader of the Chinese IT industry, the CAS's Computer Technology Institute (CTI) has also demonstrated its leadership by providing free intellectual property rights to Chinese citizens.
Its recent launching of a so-called "Free Space" for the public truly represents an inspirational and original policy.
For the CTI, the objectives of the institute are: promoting scientific discovery and technological innovation in the information fields; providing advanced technology and training outstanding talents; disseminating advanced culture and serving society; making a great contribution to China's economic growth and national security as well as to society's sustainable development.
The transfer of intellectual property (IP) for firms both at home and overseas free of charge and the providing of cutting-edge products and technologies constitutes a concrete major measure the CTI has taken in its Knowledge and Creation Project, named by the CAS.
According to the developing strategy of the CAS's CTI for the year 2002, technical transfer shall takes the following forms, that is, to directly create brand names, into which related IP will be applied, to transfer patents permits with payment, to establish shares for the intellectual property rights and, to transfer IP rights to small and medium-size firms free of charge.
As a national non-profit research institute in China, the CAS's CTI set up a special column in its website, "Free-Space", which has established a total of 15 free products and technologies including a digital visual broadcast disk, a family information platform, a dim chip and biology information software.
"Free Space" has so far attracted much attention in China, and some overseas customers are also expressing their interest.
(People's Daily September 6, 2002)
