9 Chinese color TV giants including TCL, Changhong, Skyworth and Haier declared in a joint statement they had reached consensus on the strategic significance of expansion and agreed on alliance under the banner of overseas foothold.

The 9 giants have decided to set up four committees which would deal with technical standards, intellectual property rights, international market and domestic market respectively. They have proposed a ��patents pool�� which integrates patents developed by the 9 members. They will also have an organization representing China' color TV industry for negotiation for purchasing valuable patents.

China is the largest color TV manufacturer and seller in the world. In 2004, out of the 133 million color TVs sold around the world, more than 72 million were made in China. And the 9 giants sold nearly 60 million worldwide.

However, the lack of core technologies and IPR still embarrasses Chinese makers. Data from the State Intellectual Property Office recorded that 72 percent of the 2457 patents for digital TV by 2002 had been held by Japanese, American and South Korean enterprises while only 110 had been registered by Chinese businesses based in the mainland.

By People's Daily Online