CRH Harmony bullet train, China
A visitor looks at the head of a CRH (China Railway High-speed) Harmony bullet train at an exhibition for the Seventh World Congress on High Speed Rail in Beijing Dec. on 7, 2010. China plans to build 13,000 km (8,078 miles) of high-speed railway by 2012, more than the rest of the world combined. Bullet trains are serving a new high-speed railway linking Shanghai and Hangzhou in Shanghai. CRH bullet trains' speeds vary from 250 to 350 kilometers per hour. Reuters

CSR Corporation Limited, maker of high-speed trains, plans to apply for US patents for its CRH380A train, which would allow the company to participate in the railway projects in the country, a report said on Thursday.

The Chinese company has already hired lawyers in the US to assess its intellectual property rights for CRH380A train and to weigh them against those existing in the US, the official China Daily said, quoting Ma Yunshuang, deputy general manager and technology director of CSR Qingdao Sifang Co Ltd.

The result of their initial assessment came out good, which means China can apply for patents (for the train) in the US. We are now planning on this, Yunshuang said, without disclosing further details.

However, he said it is not under the company's control to be granted patents.

If the patents are granted for CRH380A train in the US, it would allow the company to bid for US high-speed railway projects, according to industry sources.

Domestically, China plans to build 13,000 km (8,078 miles) of high-speed rail by 2012, more than the rest of the world combined. Speed of CRH380A bullet train varies from 250 to 350 kilometers per hour.

The country is set to open high-speed railway link connecting major cities Beijing and Shanghai starting July 1, the Chinese ministry of railways (MOR) said on Thursday.

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