The effective number of domestic invention patents in China has exceeded 4 million, ranking first in the world.

Hu Wenhui, deputy director of Chinese China National Intellectual Property Administration, announced on January 16th that by the end of 2023, the effective number of invention patents in China was 4.991 million, of which the effective number of invention patents in China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) was 4.015 million, making it the first country in the world with the number of effective invention patents exceeding 4 million. At the same time, China has 11.8 high-value invention patents per 10,000 people.

He said that among the more than 4 million valid invention patents, high-value invention patents account for more than 40%, and China has become a veritable intellectual property country, making continuous contributions to global innovation and development.

The State Council Press Office held a press conference on intellectual property work in 2023 in Beijing on the same day. Hu Wenhui made the above remarks when introducing the progress of intellectual property work in 2023 and answering media questions. The data related to intellectual property rights in China in 2023 released by him also include:

In terms of patents, 921,000 invention patents, 2.09 million utility model patents and 638,000 design patents were authorized throughout the year. Patent reexamination closed 65,000 cases, and 7700 cases were declared invalid. 74,000 international patent applications for PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) were accepted. China applicants submitted 1,814 international applications for designs in The Hague.

In terms of trademarks, 4.383 million trademarks were registered throughout the year. 153,000 trademark objection cases were reviewed. 373,000 trademark review cases were completed. Received 6,196 applications for international registration of Madrid trademarks from China applicants. By the end of 2023, the number of valid trademarks registered in China was 46.146 million.

In terms of geographical indications, 13 geographical indication products were approved, and 201 geographical indications were registered as collective trademarks and certification trademarks. 5,842 business entities approved to use special geographical indications. By the end of 2023, China had approved a total of 2,508 geographical indication products, and 7,277 geographical indications were registered as collective trademarks and certification trademarks. The total number of business entities for special geographical indications reached 26,000, and the annual output value of geographical indication products exceeded 800 billion yuan.

In terms of layout design of integrated circuits, 11,000 pieces of layout design of integrated circuits were registered and issued. By the end of 2023, China had issued 72,000 integrated circuit layout designs.

In terms of intellectual property protection, the first batch of 10 national intellectual property protection demonstration zones was started throughout the year, and the selection and publicity of the second batch of 15 were completed. There are 8 new intellectual property protection centers and 7 fast rights protection centers, with a total of 112. There are 21 local sub-centers and 2 overseas sub-centers for overseas intellectual property disputes, with a total of 45. The social satisfaction of intellectual property protection increased to 82.04 points.

In terms of the use of intellectual property rights, the registered amount of patent and trademark pledge financing in the whole year was 853.99 billion yuan, benefiting 37,000 enterprises. Statistics show that in 2022, the added value of patent-intensive industries in China was 15.3 trillion yuan, an increase of 7.1% over the previous year (without deducting the price factor), and its share in GDP rose to 12.7%.

Hu Wenhui pointed out that the statistical data of intellectual property objectively recorded the development of intellectual property in China. China’s patent system has been implemented for nearly 40 years. In the past 40 years, China’s invention patent authorization has grown steadily, and the whole society’s innovation vitality has continued in generate, showing the characteristics of accelerating the creation of high-value invention patents, accelerating the creation of new advantages for innovative enterprises, and playing a significant role in leading innovation in key areas.

Among them, it took about 31 years, 4 years and 2 years for the effective number of invention patents in China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) to reach the first, second and third 1 million, respectively, while it took only one and a half years to break through the fourth 1 million.

Enterprises account for more than 70% of effective invention patents in China, which is the main force to promote innovation and creation. Further, national high-tech enterprises and small and medium-sized science and technology enterprises have 2.134 million effective invention patents, up 24.2% year-on-year, accounting for nearly three-quarters of the total domestic enterprises, reaching 73.4%. Independent innovation empowers the high-quality development of many science and technology enterprises.

By the end of 2023, the effective number of invention patents in Yangtze River Delta, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area were 1.308 million, 703,000 and 672,000 respectively, accounting for 65.6% of the domestic total, increasing by 21.1%, 21.0% and 23.2% respectively. According to the report "Global Innovation Index 2023" released by the World Intellectual Property Organization, Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster, Beijing cluster and Shanghai-Suzhou cluster occupy three of the top five global science and technology clusters. Scientific and technological innovation has been deeply integrated into major national strategies such as the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, and the construction of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, which has become a strong engine to promote the development of industrial economy.

Regarding "the number of high-value invention patents per 10,000 population", Ge Shu, deputy director of the China National Intellectual Property Administration Patent Office and director of the strategic planning department, said that this is one of the main indicators of the national "14th Five-Year Plan" and it is expected to reach 12 by 2025. Statistics show that by the end of 2023, the number of high-value invention patents in China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) reached 1.665 million, up 25.7% year-on-year, and the number of high-value invention patents per 10,000 population reached 11.8, up 5.5 from the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan, which is expected to achieve the expected goal of the 14th Five-Year Plan ahead of schedule in 2024.

He also said that by the end of 2023, among the high-value invention patents in China, there were 1.166 million effective invention patents belonging to strategic emerging industries, up 22.5% year-on-year, accounting for 70.0%, which provided strong support for the innovation and development of key industries.

By the end of 2023, there were 602,000 valid invention patents in China with a service life of more than 10 years, a year-on-year increase of 35.4%, 2.4 times that at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan. The average service life of domestic high-value invention patents reached 8.4 years, 0.3 years higher than that at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan, and the willingness of innovators to maintain the validity of patents was increasing.

By the end of 2023, among the domestic high-value invention patents in China, there were 104,000 effective invention patents with high pledge financing amount, up by 37.4% year-on-year, and the role of intellectual property rights in helping enterprises out and empowering enterprises was further exerted.