Zhejiang province has issued more than 24,000 data intellectual property (IP) certificates as part of a national pilot program to reform the way data assets are protected and commercialized, provincial officials said at a news conference on Sept 23.

If data is flour, data IP is the dough. Eventually, the bread and pastries are made through a unique process, according to an official at the Administration for Market Regulation of Zhejiang Province, illustrating the concept with a metaphor.

Since the pilot launched in June 2023, Zhejiang has received over 58,000 data registration applications from companies, universities, and research institutions across 27 provinces. So far, the program has unlocked more than 9 billion yuan (about $1.2 billion) in asset value.

Zhejiang was the first in China to formally incorporate data IP protections into two local laws: the Regulations on the Protection and Promotion of Intellectual Property Rights of Zhejiang Province and the Regulations on Optimizing the Business Environment of Zhejiang Province. These legal frameworks mandate the registration of data to clarify ownership and rights.

Each certificate acts as a de facto "ID card" for a dataset, serving as the basis for market transactions, revenue sharing, and rights enforcement — a step aimed at giving data handlers stronger incentives to innovate.

Amid growing demand for training data in artificial intelligence, Zhejiang has also issued guidelines specifically for registering data IP in the AI sector. The goal is to address the limited access to curated datasets and a lack of real-world application scenarios.