A NATIONAL center has been established to offer guidance to Chinese entities on resolving overseas intellectual property (IP) disputes, the industry watchdog said Wednesday.

The launch of the center was part of efforts to enhance the mechanism in dealing with overseas IP disputes, said Zhao Gang, deputy head of the National Intellectual Property Administration (NIPA), at a press conference.

The center has two main tasks: to guide and serve Chinese enterprises in safeguarding their IP rights overseas; and to help them better understand and respect the IP systems and rules of overseas jurisdictions.

Once in full operation, the center will provide services through the Internet, a hotline and at its receptions, senior NIPA official Zhang Zhicheng said.

In recent years, Chinese enterprises are encountering a significantly rising number of IP disputes overseas. Zhang said the rise was caused by their inadequate understanding of overseas systems and legal procedures, difficulties in obtaining information and language barriers, as well as the lack of access to reliable professional assistance. (Xinhua)