The State Intellectual Property Office announced recipients of the nation's top awards for patents at a ceremony on Dec 12 to honor 20 gold-medal invention and utility models, and five industrial designs.

The 2014 China Gold Patent Awards winners covered a wide range of businesses including IT, electronics, chemicals, food engineering, pharmaceuticals, autos and aerospace.

According to the State Intellectual Property Office, since the 20 award-winning inventions and utility models were granted patents, they had generated combined sales revenue of 145 billion yuan ($23.4 billion) and profits of 19.5 billion yuan by the end of last year.

Twenty-five companies and organizations won 2014 China Gold Patent Awards. Jiang Wenjie / For China Daily

Five projects with award-winning designs had total revenue of 8.4 billion yuan over the period.

SIPO Commissioner Shen Changyu said at the ceremony that the increasing authority and influence of the awards "play an important role in inspiring passion for innovation and improving the nation's capacity for innovation".

Shen said the award-winning companies and organizations have strong capacities in intellectual property use and protection. With improved IP management systems and overseas IP deployment, they are more competitive on the market.

"To optimize the nation's economy, we need to improve capacities in IP creation, use, protection, management and service, and foster an environment that respects knowledge, innovation and the law," said the commissioner.

He also called for higher-quality patent applications and more efficient patent examination.

First launched in 1989 by SIPO and the World Intellectual Property Organization, the awards campaign has helped in the development of China's patent and design efforts, and promoted the nation's economic restructuring, said Wang Binying, deputy director-general of WIPO.

"We are witnessing more industries with award-winning projects, with higher technology and increased Chinese proprietary R&D," she said. "This shows the progress of China's technology and innovation, as well as the improvement of its IP system.

"Innovation is the source of development and driving force of social progress, but IP protection is needed to secure the source and unleash the force," she said. "The awards are an example of encouraging this."

Xi Guohua, board chairman of China Mobile, which won an invention award, said that the mobile communication sector currently has the most intense competition in the world.

"Behind the competition in international standards are competitions in technology, innovation and patents," he said. "China lagged behind in the 2G age, followed passively in the 3G age, but is now leading the way in the 4G age with its TD-LTE standards used in more than 40 commercial networks in 26 countries across the world."

He said that China Mobile gives equal focus to the quantity and quality of patents. "The company has always learned cutting-edge technologies, and we are transforming from a follower of international game rules to a maker of them."

Hou Zifeng, chief scientist at Lenovo, which won an award for a tablet computer design, said the company makes IP strategies that enable it to reduce risk while using its own patent advantages in the global market.

He said one example of the strategy is the Yoga, a laptop computer with a 360-degree adjustable display.

He said the product became a bestseller in the US high-end laptop market soon after its launch in 2012, but some competitors were trying to release products with similar designs.

But Lenovo was well prepared with global patent registration on the design of the Yoga as early as 2005. It was not until Lenovo unveiled the third generation of the Yoga that its competitors made products similar to the first generation, Hou said.

"The patents have delayed competitors, and Lenovo has maintained its advantages in the international market," he said.

Nearly 900 patents were submitted to this year's award campaign, a record high. Beside the 25 gold awards, there were also recognition awards for 408 invention and utility models, and 64 industrial designs.

"By awarding inventors and designers, we encourage innovation, and hope more of them will benefit society and advance the national economy with their wisdom," said SIPO Deputy Commissioner He Hua.

zhangzhao@chinadaily.com.cn