China reports rise in patents and stronger IP enforcement

China has met the intellectual property targets set in its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), with improvements in innovation quality and steady progress toward becoming a stronger intellectual property power, the country's top IP regulator said on Wednesday.

The China National Intellectual Property Administration said the time needed to review invention patent applications has been cut to an average of 15 months, down from 20 months at the end of 2020. The average review time for trademark registration has been held at about four months. Both are among the shortest processing times globally, according to the administration.

From 2021 to 2025, China's number of valid domestic invention patents exceeded 5 million. The country also reported 16 high-value invention patents per 10,000 people, surpassing the targets set in the plan. High-value invention patents generally refer to patents in key technologies with strong market potential and economic value.

As applications increased, China continued to rank first worldwide in international patent filings under the World Intellectual Property Organization's Patent Cooperation Treaty, a system that allows inventors to seek patent protection in multiple countries through a single application. China also ranked among the global leaders in international design registrations under the Hague system and trademark applications under the Madrid system, both of which simplify the process of protecting designs and brands overseas.

China has also strengthened enforcement and protection of intellectual property rights over the past five years. The administration said 129 national-level intellectual property protection centers and fast-track service stations have been established across the country, handling about 480,000 cases. These centers are designed to help innovators resolve disputes more quickly and protect their rights more effectively.

A coordination mechanism between the intellectual property administration and the Supreme People's Court has also been put in place. The cooperation has helped mediate about 450,000 disputes, providing an alternative to lengthy court proceedings.

In addition, China has set up 116 overseas intellectual property service platforms to assist companies operating abroad. These platforms have offered guidance on more than 4,200 intellectual property-related cases and helped recover losses totaling nearly 41 billion yuan ($5.87 billion), the administration said.