Chinese patent figures beat country’s own targets, say officials
IP registrations in China have continued to soar ahead of national targets, according to the country’s IP office.
According to China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), a total of 453,000 invention patents were issued in 2019, bringing the total average to 13.3 per 10,000 people.
Invention patents are one of three types of patents available in China, and are subject to the highest level of scrutiny at examination stage.
The CNIPA statement, reported by state-run media outlet Science and Technology Daily, added that almost 1.6 million utility patents, as well as 557,000 design patents, were also granted last year.
China exported $6 billion of IP rights to foreign companies last year, the statement said, an increase of 19.2% from the previous year.
The CNIPA said the figures pointed towards growing international recognition of a strong Chinese IP system.
The office said it received a total of 61,000 international patent applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, while Chinese applicants filed 6,491 trademark applications under the Madrid system.
The 2019 figures are ahead of targets set in the country’s 13th Five Year Plan, the CNIPA said.
A notice on the CNIPA website also noted that the much publicised Foreign Investment Law, agreed by lawmakers last year, came into effect on January 1.
Chinese authorities have looked to assuage international concerns about the standard of IP protection in the country, implementing harsher penalties for infringement and other violations.
The new law, enacted against the backdrop of continuing US-China trade negotiations, bans the practice known as “forced technology transfer”.
While China has consistently denied that foreign companies are forced to hand over access to confidential IP in order to do business in the country, the new law has explicitly outlawed any abusive practices to that effect.
The US Patent and Trademark Office issued 370,430 new patents in 2019, according to the Department of Commerce.
Total US patent filings have also doubled since 2002, numbering more than 665,000 last year.
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