The 2008 China International Patent Fair (CIPF) kicked off on Wednesday in Dalian, the port city of Northeast China's Liaoning Province.

The three-day fair has attracted 4,100 patents of 15 international exhibition groups from 11 countries and regions including Russia, South Korea, and Finland. Eighteen domestic provinces and 12 sub-provincial cities also sent exhibition delegations to the fair.

Besides exhibiting and trading patent techniques and products, more than 20 talks about the protection, innovation, management and application of intellectual property will be carried out.

"The CIPF, which is held in Dalian every year, makes the city a collection and distribution hub of excellent patent techniques and products in China," said Teng Weiping, deputy governor of Liaoning Province.

"It promotes the city's capabilities in innovation and knowledge flow. Thus, it supports the city in fulfilling its mission to lead the revitalization of the old industrial base in Northeast China," Teng said.

Dalian Intellectual Property Development Research Center or the Intellectual Property Research Academe of Dalian Maritime University was officially established on Wednesday at the fair. The academe has been established in a bid to enhance the city's prestige in the intellectual property protection field.

Sponsored by the State Intellectual Property Office, Liaoning Provincial People's Government, and China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the CIPF was inaugurated in 2002.

It has become one of the most influential state-level international patent exhibitions in China.

During the past five sessions, it has attracted over 7,000 enterprises and 50,000 patents from more than 30 countries and regions as well as over 500,000 professional visitors.

"Dalian is a model city in protecting intellectual property. Taking the advantage of organizing the patent fair, the city will improve its ability in the conversion and industrialization of patents," said Xia Deren, mayor of Dalian.