Japan, US, Germany lead China’s foreign IP filings
Patentees from Japan had the most foreign patent filings in China last year, reaching 49,000, while the US saw 39,000 applications, and Germany 16,000, according to China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA).
In terms of trademark filings, the US was in first position, with 54,000, a 5.3% increase on the previous year, while Japan filed 31,000, a 21% jump year-on-year. The UK came in third, with 24,000, an increase of 42%.
The figures, reported by China’s state-run news agency Xinhua, also revealed that organisations from 186 countries and regions applied for Chinese patents and trademarks last year, a yearly increase of 12%.
In 2019, the overall number of patent applications filed by foreign applicants reached 157,000, up 6% on the year, while the total number of foreign trademark applications reached 255,000, an increase of 4.7%.
CNIPA attributed the increases to stronger legislation and a tougher response to infringements, including the recently introduced Foreign Investment Law, which seeks to create a more transparent and predictable business environment for foreign investors.
Increases in efficiency have also helped. According to Xinhua, CNIPA has approved 26 processing centres across China to reduce the waiting times and costs of IP rights protection.
In 2019, the average processing time for trademark registrations was cut to just over four months, compared to six months in 2018, and the processing time for high-value patent examinations was reduced to just over 17 months.
By the end of 2022, the processing time for an invention patent application will be down to 16 months and for a high-value patent 13.8 months, claimed CNIPA. The average time for processing a trademark application will be reduced to within four months, CNIPA said.
The Xinhua News Agency is China’s official state-run press agency, and one of the largest news agencies in the world in terms of global correspondents.
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