The high-quality development of the intellectual property sector is increasingly evident in the first half of the year —

This year marks the final year of the 14th Five-Year Plan. Recently, the National Intellectual Property Administration (NIPA) presented a mid-year report at a press conference organized by the State Council Information Office on the theme of “High-Quality Implementation of the 14th Five-Year Plan.” The report highlighted positive indicators and data, showcasing the characteristics of “stability,” “growth,” “vigor,” and “excellence,” further underscoring the high-quality development of China's intellectual property sector.

Stability: Steady growth in intellectual property reserves

As of June this year, the number of valid domestic invention patents reached 5.01 million, an increase of 13.2% year-on-year, with the number of high-value invention patents per 10,000 people reaching 15.3, a new record high. The number of valid domestic registered trademarks reached 48.959 million, an increase of 6.6% year-on-year, with an average of one registered trademark for every four business entities. A total of 2,861 geographical indication products have been recognized, with 7,424 geographical indications registered as collective trademarks or certification trademarks. Over 37,000 business entities use the geographical indication special mark. In the first half of the year, domestic applicants submitted PCT international patent applications and Hague System design applications, which increased by 12.7% and 23.2% year-on-year, respectively. More domestic companies are accelerating their overseas intellectual property positioning.

“This indicates that under the continuously improving intellectual property system environment, the intellectual property awareness of China's innovation entities and business entities has significantly improved, and the protective, innovative, and value-enhancing functions of intellectual property rights have been strengthened. The steady growth in intellectual property reserves also reflects the enhancement of China's innovation momentum and capabilities, with intellectual property work becoming a key focus in the development of new productive forces,” said Ren Shengce, Professor at the Shanghai International Intellectual Property College of Tongji University and Director of the Center for Innovation and Competition Research, in an interview with this newspaper.

Rise: The leading role of enterprises in technological innovation continues to strengthen

Currently, there are 524,000 enterprises in China holding valid invention patents, with a total of 3.727 million valid invention patents, accounting for 74.4% of the total valid invention patents in the country, an increase of 6.1 percentage points compared to the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period. This aligns closely with the proportion of enterprise R&D investment accounting for three-quarters of the total national R&D investment, indicating that enterprises' innovation capabilities are continuously strengthening and have become the “main battlefield” for the production of new technologies.

In terms of empowering enterprise development, several policy measures have been effectively implemented: China has launched the Intellectual Property Protection System Construction Project, strengthened guidance on addressing overseas intellectual property disputes, and established 128 national-level intellectual property protection centers and rapid rights protection centers across the country; supported eight provinces and municipalities in conducting comprehensive pilot programs for intellectual property financial ecosystems to help address financing difficulties for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); and implemented the Patent Industrialization Promotion Plan for SME Growth, providing high-growth SMEs with customized services such as patent pre-examination, patent navigation, technology transfer matching, and investment and financing support based on their needs; and increased protection for original innovations by private small and medium-sized enterprises.

“Strong intellectual property protection has given enterprises a ‘sense of security,’ making the incentive role of intellectual property in innovation increasingly evident. At the same time, the integration of patent chains and industrial chains has improved. Whether enterprises engage in independent innovation or technology introduction, patents are implemented, driving industrial development and growth,” said Li Fang, a researcher at the Intellectual Property Development Research Center of the National Intellectual Property Administration.

Hot: Surge in technological innovation in the digital and medical fields

According to statistics on technology fields categorized by the World Intellectual Property Organization, the top three fields in terms of growth in valid invention patents are information technology management methods, computer technology, and medical technology, with year-on-year growth rates of 34.1%, 22.7%, and 19.8%, respectively, far exceeding the average growth rate of valid invention patents in China. The rapid growth of invention patents in digital technology and medical technology has effectively empowered industrial digital transformation and brought benefits to public health and well-being.

Li Fang believes that the rapid growth of invention patents in digital technology and medical technology reflects the vibrant innovation momentum in these two fields, particularly the rapidly developing artificial intelligence industry this year, which is a manifestation of the accumulated strength of digital technology. At the same time, this also indicates the high dependence of these two fields on intellectual property rights, underscoring the importance of prioritizing intellectual property work in their development. Currently, China is gradually forming a virtuous cycle of “innovation-protection-revenue-re-innovation” in high-tech fields such as artificial intelligence and biopharmaceuticals, with some areas beginning to explore the construction of patent pools. These are concrete manifestations of the deep integration of intellectual property rights and industrial development.

Improvement: The intellectual property business environment continues to improve

In the first half of this year, foreign applicants submitted 94,000 trademark registration applications in China, representing a year-on-year increase of 7.4%. Among them, trademark applications from Germany, Italy, and the United States saw particularly rapid growth, all increasing by over 20% year-on-year. Additionally, the National Intellectual Property Administration also accepted 74 applications for the protection of geographical indication products from the Burgundy region of France in the first half of the year. These developments clearly demonstrate that China, by treating domestic and foreign enterprises equally in terms of intellectual property protection, has created a favorable business environment for foreign enterprises to invest and operate in China.

To build a market-oriented, rule-of-law-based, and internationalized first-class business environment, China has joined nearly all major international intellectual property treaties and actively promoted the improvement of domestic intellectual property laws and regulations; continuously enhanced the quality and efficiency of patent and trademark reviews, enabling foreign enterprises to enjoy the same professional services and preferential policies as domestic enterprises; actively solicits opinions and suggestions from foreign-invested enterprises and provides targeted intellectual property services. Meanwhile, China has continuously strengthened intellectual property protection for “going global” enterprises, improved foreign-related intellectual property regulations, enhanced risk warning and response guidance, increased efforts to cultivate foreign-related intellectual property lawyers, compiled and compiled 1,339 intellectual property laws, regulations, and international treaties from 189 countries and regions, and issued 16 country-specific intellectual property guides for key countries and a cross-border e-commerce intellectual property protection guide, continuously enhancing information supply.

Ren Shengce noted that, on one hand, as China's high-level market economy develops, the construction of a unified national market progresses, and the intellectual property protection system becomes more robust, China's ability to attract global innovation resources continues to strengthen, further injecting fresh momentum into the development of new productive forces. On the other hand, as Chinese enterprises transition from “going global” to “integrating into global markets,” challenges related to intellectual property and compliance management have become more evident, and the demand for corresponding intellectual property guidance and services has continued to grow. It is necessary to further strengthen the cultivation of relevant talent, optimize service models, and accelerate the formation of a high-quality intellectual property ecosystem to support enterprises in their global expansion.