The China (Zhejiang) Intellectual Property Protection Center and the China (Ningbo) Intellectual Property Protection Center in Zhejiang province were recently appointed by the National Intellectual Property Administration as two of the first 10 regional branches of the State Center for Guiding Overseas Intellectual Property Dispute Settlement.

"In the past, settling overseas IP disputes was a major headache for us. Sometimes we couldn't even find a lawyer and wasted a lot of time and money on it," said Hu Guofang, president of a high-tech company in Hangzhou.

The regional branches house think tanks consisting of lawyers, IP experts, researchers, and college professors that can help companies deal with overseas IP dispute settlements.

"As more companies expand internationally, more efforts should be made to protect their intellectual property rights," said an official from the province's market supervision bureau.