Chongqing advances specialized, digital notary services to strengthen IP protection

In recent years, the notarization sector of Chongqing municipality has made significant progress in aligning its services with the strategic priorities of intellectual property (IP) protection. To address persistent challenges such as difficulty in evidence collection, lengthy protection cycles, high costs, and covert infringement, the sector has adopted a three-pronged approach centered on building comprehensive service frameworks, leveraging digital technology, and establishing innovative benchmarking models. These efforts aim to support scientific and technological innovation, cultural and creative industry upgrades, and the high-quality growth of local brands.

Notary institutions across Chongqing have actively engaged with industry associations, IP service agencies, and law firms to build sustainable cooperation and service platforms. Focusing on key stages including IP creation, circulation, rights protection, dispute resolution, and overseas protection, they have developed an end-to-end service system that covers pre-emptive ownership confirmation, real-time process witnessing, and post-event evidence collection for rights protection.

The sector has also deepened its adoption of the "Internet + Notarization" model, using digital transformation to overcome traditional time and space constraints and make IP protection more efficient and accessible. With blockchain technology and the "Notary Cloud" platform, local notaries now provide services such as online evidence collection and cloud-based witnessing, supported by an around-the-clock digital evidence storage and collection system. These efforts have effectively addressed issues related to cross-regional rights protection, evidence preservation, and high costs for rights protection.

Chongqing's "Xingben Notary Chain" platform has recorded more than 110 million pieces of online evidence and has been recognized as part of the national pilot program for blockchain innovation applications. By extending digital notary services to the early stages of innovation, research, and dispute prevention, the benefits of IP protection are delivered with targeted precision to market entities of all types.

In addition, notary institutions across Chongqing are leveraging their unique strengths to develop customized and specialized IP notary service models, and fostering a range of replicable benchmark cases. These initiatives aim to support brand building for large enterprises, foster innovation among small and medium-sized businesses, and assist local companies in overseas rights protection. 

For example, the Chongqing Municipal Notary Office has established a dedicated IP notary department, assembling a specialized team skilled in both legal expertise and electronic evidence collection to enhance its professional service capabilities. The Guoxin Notary Office, meanwhile,  focuses on foreign-related IP protection, offering standardized evidence preservation services to help local enterprises resolve overseas patent disputes and providing solid legal support for their global expansion.

Technological and institutional innovations have also injected new momentum into Chongqing's notary service delivery. The city's Zhongxin Notary Office has integrated blockchain technology into notarization, creating a dedicated evidence storage platform that offers cost-effective and highly credible ownership verification for digital works, software codes, and other emerging forms of IP. To address the challenge of collecting evidence for covert infringements, the Yubei Notary Office has pioneered a "Notary Bounty for Evidence Collection" model, providing an innovative solution to such complex rights protection issues.

Today, Chongqing's notary sector has cultivated a development landscape distinguished by institution-specific strengths and field-specific best practices. Through professional, digital, and tailored notary services, it continues to inject robust legal momentum into the city's innovation-driven growth and its efforts to build a city with a strong focus on IP.