Regulator strengthens IP protection in Greater Bay Area

China's top intellectual property regulator has stepped up efforts to strengthen IP protection in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, with optimized public services to support the regional high-quality development.

Now, there have been six national-level IP protection centers — eight stations to help rapidly protect IP rights and six platforms guiding entities in handling overseas IP disputes across GBA, supporting innovation in local industries such as high-end equipment manufacturing, new energy, and next-generation information technology, Heng Fuguang, spokesman for the China National Intellectual Property Administration, said at a news conference on Friday.

Thanks to a quick channel established in the area, the efficiency of examining patents has also been improved, with 16,000 patents receiving a priority examination from January to June, he said.

"We've been promoting the establishment of an IP mediation center in the GBA and forming a team that has included over 60 mediators from Hong Kong and Macao," he noted, adding that this team has successfully mediated more than 1,700 IP disputes to date.

To strengthen IP talent cultivation and serve high-level opening-up, he said that the administration has collaborated with Peking University to set up an international IP academy in the area and worked with the Ministry of Justice to enhance the training of lawyers specializing in foreign-related matters.

"We've also offered internship opportunities for Hong Kong patent examiners in the mainland, with technical analysis training and patent navigation provided for Macao IP officials, businesses, and research institution personnel," he said.

He added that the administration will continue the measures to promote high-quality innovation, efficient utilization, high-standard protection, high-quality services, and high-level cooperation within the GBA, so as to provide stronger IP support for the development of a world-class area.

Data released on Friday showed that, as of June, the GBA had 817,000 valid invention patents and over 8.52 million valid registered trademarks authorized by the administration, accounting for approximately one-sixth of the national total in both categories.

According to the World Intellectual Property Organization's Global Innovation Index in 2025, 24 of China's innovation clusters are among the world's top 100, with the Hong Kong-Guangzhou-Shenzhen cluster ranked first.