On January 25, China National Intellectual Property Administration agreed to the China Zhongshan (Lighting) Intellectual Property Rapid Protection Center to carry out a pilot trial of rapid pre-examination of utility models. Zhongshan Quick Maintenance Center became the first intellectual property rights quick maintenance center in China that expanded pre-review business scope from design to utility models.

Zhongshan Quick Maintenance Center was established in 2010 and is China's first rapid intellectual property rights protection center. It has established a rapid intellectual property rights protection system for the lighting industry. It provides enterprises and institutions within its jurisdiction with rapid pre-examination and confirmation of design rights and one-stop integrated service for intellectual property rights protection. The "Zhongshan Ancient Town Model of Industrial Design Protection" was recognized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and was promoted globally in the form of a keynote speech at the WIPO conference held in Geneva in 2019. With the transformation and upgrading of the lighting industry in Old Town, Zhongshan, local companies have continuously improved their innovative capabilities in semiconductor lighting, smart lighting and other fields. The number of utility model patent applications has increased year by year. There are intensive calls for utility models to be pre-examined as quickly as appearance designs.

According to the "Notice of CNIPA on Further Strengthening the Construction of the Rapid Intellectual Property Rights Protection Center" (Guo Zhi Fa Bao Zi [2020] No. 34), CNIPA, upon application, carried out activities in the pilot work of rapid preliminary review of utility models, promoted the improvement of the innovation capabilities of the county-level cluster industries. In the future, Zhongshan Quick Maintenance Center will carry out a pilot project for rapid pre-examination of utility models for the lighting industry, further utilize the advantages of rapid intellectual property rights protection, and promote the high-quality development of the local lighting industry.