A mobile application was launched to provide free legal consultancy services for IT workers and companies in Shenzhen that is home to high-tech giants including Huawei Technology and ZTE.

The move, sponsored by the Shenzhen Association for Science and Technology, aims to increase the legal awareness of IT professionals amid rising demand for intellectual property protection.

About 10,000 international applications were filed in Shenzhen through the Patent Cooperation Treaty last year.