Shanghai innovates as invention patents rise in 2025

Shanghai saw the number of valid invention patents spike 12.21 percent year-on-year to 293,700 in the first half of this year, Yu Chen, deputy director of Shanghai Intellectual Property Administration said during a news conference on Tuesday.

The number of high-value invention patents per 10,000 people reached 62 in the first six months, which was equal to a year-on-year increase of 14.6 percent. The city's number of valid trademark registrations approached 2.85 million, up 5.05 percent from a year earlier, according to Yu.

The half-year figure is a reflection of the development of Shanghai's intellectual property market during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, with substantial growth both in terms of size and quality being the objective, said Yu.

One highlight has been the effective utilization of intellectual properties. On one hand, this can be largely attributed to the various top-down measures released over the past few years, according to Yu.

For example, the amended regulations on the special funds designed for intellectual properties took effect in late February. In 2022, the city came up with the innovative "pre-compensation" mechanism and "margin" system for intellectual property pledge loan risks, he said.

On the other hand, the city has introduced a number of innovative business models. In 2022, Shanghai launched the "patent supermarket", featuring low- to mid-price trading and high frequency transfers of intellectual property rights. Last August, online food delivery company Eleme announced that 10 of its core patents related to food safety and low-carbon environmental protection were being open sourced and listed them on the Shanghai Technology Exchange. This was the first batch of open source patents to be publicly traded on China's national technology market.

All these measures have complemented the intellectual property ecosystem in Shanghai, which is conducive to industrial upgrading, said Yu.

Shanghai-based logistics solution provider Westwell has benefited from this ecosystem, according to the company's head of public affairs Zhou Min.

Over time, the company has set up a special committee to oversee intellectual property-related issues and introduced specific management regulations. More than 200 independently developed intellectual property rights have been applied for, while over 100 trademarks have been registered, both at home and abroad, said Zhou.

These have facilitated the export of Westwell's intelligent and green autopilot solutions, which are armed with the company's core self-developed patents. In 2023, the company won a World Intellectual Property Organization Global Award, with the number of its clients since rising from 160 to more than 200. Zhou said the company has also explored new overseas businesses in Singapore and Peru, extending its services from airports, ports and factories.

Zhou described Q-Truck as one of Westwell's signature products. With independent intellectual property rights, Q-Truck is the world's first mass-produced commercial new energy driverless vehicle. It helps global users achieve the earliest mixed operations of driverless and manual driving and has, for the first time, enabled routine operations of driverless container trucks without safety personnel.

"Intellectual property is the source of companies' innovation vitality," she added.

"Shanghai's intellectual property ecosystem can effectively help enterprises enhance their ability to utilize intellectual property and improve their market competitiveness."