Digital News

China officially began implementing data property rights registration on September 11, as the national data property rights registration service system entered trial operation. The move is expected to provide data with clear ownership credentials, accelerate the development of a national integrated data market, lower data circulation and transaction costs, and unlock the value of data as a factor of production.

Why is data property rights registration needed?

Simply put, data property rights registration clarifies who holds what rights over specific data. In the past, companies seeking to use data across regions or in different application scenarios often faced challenges such as unclear ownership and inconsistent standards, which affected the efficiency of data circulation.

Luan Jie, Director-General of the Department of Policy and Planning of the National Data Administration, said that the introduction of a unified national data property rights registration system is aimed at addressing market issues, including the coexistence of multiple data registration mechanisms, inconsistent standards and limited mutual recognition. The system will enable data to be registered once and recognized nationwide.

According to the Guidelines for Data Property Rights Registration (Trial) issued by the National Data Administration in July, China has established unified rules nationwide for registration subjects, categories, procedures, review standards, legal effect, and registration systems, addressing industry challenges through institutional measures.

How is data property rights registration carried out?

Currently, the Beijing International Data Exchange, Shanghai Data Exchange, and Shenzhen Data Exchange are included in the National Directory of Data Property Rights Registration Institutions. Market entities with such needs can apply to the institutions for data property rights registration.

“The registration certificate is generally valid for five years. Applications for renewal can be submitted within six months before its expiration,” said Peng Bo, head of the Operations Management Department of the Beijing International Data Exchange. He said the registration process involves seven steps: application, acceptance, review, public announcement, objection handling, evidence preservation, and certificate issuance. The review focuses mainly on issues such as data security compliance and ownership of data property rights, before a data property rights registration certificate is issued.

On the first day of the system’s trial operation, 56 data property rights registration certificates were publicly announced through the platform, covering sectors including information technology, healthcare and scientific research.

What impact will data property rights registration have on various industries?

Huang Lihua, a professor from the Department of Information Management and Business Intelligence at Fudan University’s School of Management, said that with the advent of the AI era, most companies will become data providers, participants in data sharing and circulation, or data users. Data property rights registration certificates will provide companies with a practical tool to mitigate business risks, facilitate the compliant utilization of data assets, and effectively safeguard their rights and interests.

From the perspective of the digital economy, establishing clear ownership of data is a key foundation for unlocking its value. Previously, uncertainty over data ownership among suppliers and users posed challenges to data circulation and utilization. Financial institutions were also cautious about accepting data as collateral due to difficulties in assessing its value and potential risks. With the expansion of data property rights registration and the growing availability of data with clearly defined ownership, data circulation and utilization are expected to become more efficient and widespread. Related fields such as data valuation and data-backed financing will also have a stronger foundation for development, creating opportunities for new business models.

From a broader economic perspective, this marks an important step toward building a national integrated data market. As demand for high-quality datasets grows rapidly amid advances in AI and other emerging technologies, a unified registration framework will help build trust between data providers and users. It will benefit not only large enterprises but also small and medium-sized businesses by enabling more companies to unlock the value of data as a production factor.

Experts said that the nationwide implementation of a unified data property rights registration system is only the beginning. As more experience is gained and the system continues to evolve, its effectiveness is expected to improve further, allowing it to play a greater role in a broader range of economic scenarios.

Source: Xinhua News Agency