China's inventory of valid invention patents soars to 4.425 million by June 2024

　　By June 2024, China's inventory of valid invention patents had soared to 4.425 million, with corporate ownership accounting for 72.8%, reflecting an upsurge in business innovation. The number of foreign-owned valid invention patents and registered trademarks in China had reached 919,000 and 2.135 million respectively, showing a consistent upward trend. In the first half of 2024, patent transfers and licensing transactions by Chinese universities and research institutions increased by 22.2% year on year. Recently, the State Council Information Office of China held a series of press conferences themed "Promoting High-Quality Development", highlighting the remarkable progress in the intellectual property (IP) sector.

　　Shen Changyu, Commissioner of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), outlined the administration's strategic focus on three key areas to deepen IP reform and create an efficient integrated IP management system at the press conference. The first priority is to enhance the integrated management reform to spur innovation more effectively. The second is to refine the reform to better encourage high-level opening-up. The third is to advance the reform to support the development of a high-standard market system.

　　Fostering new quality productive forces is essential for promoting high-quality development. IP serves as a fundamental guarantee for innovation, providing important institutional and technological support for the development of new quality productive forces, as underscored at the press conference.

　　"We treat the IP of domestic and foreign-funded companies equally," said CNIPA Deputy Commissioner Hu Wenhui. The CNIPA has established 115 national IP protection centers and first-aid centers, with more than 5,000 foreign-funded companies and joint ventures on file, providing the same rapid and coordinated protection services as domestic companies have.

　　Since last year, the CNIPA has properly resolved a number of IP disputes involving companies from the U.S., Germany, France, Italy, Thailand, Denmark, and other countries, earning high praise from foreign-funded companies. By June 2024, the number of foreign-owned valid invention patents and registered trademarks in China had risen by 3.9% and 3.8% year on year, respectively, showing foreign companies' high regard for the Chinese market and their strong confidence in China's IP protection.

　　Data has transcended the traditional forms of production factors to emerge as a premium element in the creation of new quality productive forces. Invention patent licensing transactions in the core industries of China's digital economy reached 406,000, representing 45% of the total, with an average annual growth rate of 21.0% over the past five years. In recent years, according to Ge Shu, Deputy Commissioner of the Patent Office and Director General of the Strategic Planning Department at the CNIPA, the CNIPA has formulated regulations for the management of data IP registration, created a unified national data IP registration certificate, and accelerated the establishment of a national data IP registration platform, making necessary preparations for data IP registration at the national level.

　　The industry is the carrier of new quality productive forces, and the transformation of technological achievements into tangible productive forces is contingent upon their industrial application. In the first half of 2024, Chinese universities and research institutions executed 23,000 patent transfers and licensing transactions, up 22.2% year on year.

　　With a focus on enhancing the efficiency of the IP chain in key industries, the CNIPA has earnestly implemented the requirements of the Special Action Plan for Patent Commercialization and Utilization (2023-2025), and has recently collaborated with relevant departments to release the Measures for Enhancing the Efficiency of the Intellectual Property Chain in Key Industries. According to Wang Peizhang, Director General of the CNIPA IP Utilization Promotion Department, various departments will actively establish a collaborative mechanism for industrial development, encourage leading companies and key industrial parks to build industrial IP operation centers, offer guidance on the establishment of industrial IP innovation alliances, and facilitate the joint creation, coordinated use, common protection and integrated management of IP. The construction of patent pools in key industries will be encouraged, with the development and release of work guidelines to enhance the overall layout of patent pools, thereby promoting collaborative industrial development.

　　"We will earnestly implement these measures and continuously enhance our IP governance capabilities and standards. We aim to better leverage the positive role of IP in spurring comprehensive innovation, promoting industrial transformation, improving the business environment, and ensuring the seamless operation of both domestic and international economic cycles. By doing so, we will make an even greater contribution of IP to the acceleration of Chinese modernization," said Shen. (by Wu Ke)

　　截至今年6月，中国国内发明专利有效量达到442.5万件，其中，权利人是企业的发明专利占比提升到72.8%，企业创新更加活跃；国外在华有效发明专利和有效注册商标量分别达到91.9万件和213.5万件，保持稳定增长；今年上半年中国高校和科研机构专利转让许可次数同比增长22.2%……近日，中国国务院新闻办公室举行“推动高质量发展”系列主题新闻发布会，展示一系列知识产权领域改革发展成效。

　　中国国家知识产权局局长申长雨在发布会上表示，中国国家知识产权局拟重点从3个方面开展工作，持续深化知识产权领域改革，推动建立高效的知识产权综合管理体制：首先，要围绕更好地激励创新深化知识产权综合管理改革；其次，要围绕更好地促进高水平对外开放深化知识产权综合管理改革；第三，要围绕更好地促进高标准市场体系建设深化知识产权综合管理改革。

　　发展新质生产力是推动高质量发展的内在要求和重要着力点。知识产权作为激励创新的基本保障，为新质生产力发展提供着重要的制度供给和技术供给。这在此次发布会中得到充分显现。

　　“我们坚持做到对内外资企业的知识产权一视同仁、同等保护。”中国国家知识产权局副局长胡文辉表示，中国国家知识产权局在全国建设了115家国家级知识产权保护中心和快速维权中心，其中备案的外资和合资企业超过了5000家，提供了与国内企业同样的快速协同保护服务。

　　去年以来，中国国家知识产权局相继妥善处理了涉及美国、德国、法国、意大利、泰国、丹麦等国家相关企业的多起知识产权纠纷，得到了外资企业的高度评价。截至今年6月，国外在华有效发明专利量和有效注册商标量同比分别增长了3.9%和3.8%，显示出国外企业对中国的市场高度重视，对中国的知识产权保护充满信心。

　　数据打破了传统生产要素的质态，是形成新质生产力的优质生产要素。2023年中国数字经济核心产业的发明专利授权量达到40.6万件，占同期全社会发明专利授权总量的四成半，近五年年均增速达到21.0%。中国国家知识产权局专利局副局长、战略规划司司长葛树介绍，近年来，中国国家知识产权局制定了数据知识产权登记管理规范，设计了全国统一的数据知识产权登记证书，加快建立全国数据知识产权登记平台，开发相关的信息化系统，为在国家层面开展数据知识产权登记做好必要准备。

　　产业是新质生产力的载体，科技成果只有实现产业化才能转变为现实生产力。今年上半年，中国高校和科研机构专利转让许可次数达到了2.3万次，同比增长22.2%。

　　围绕重点产业的知识产权强链增效，中国国家知识产权局认真落实《专利转化运用专项行动方案（2023—2025年）》部署要求，近期会同有关部门出台了《关于推进重点产业知识产权强链增效的若干措施》。中国国家知识产权局知识产权运用促进司司长王培章介绍，各部门将积极构建产业协同发展机制，引导鼓励龙头企业和重点园区建设产业知识产权运营中心，指导组建产业知识产权创新联合体，推动知识产权联合创造、协同运用、共同保护和集成管理。鼓励构建重点产业专利池，制定发布工作指引，强化专利池整体布局，促进产业协同发展。

　　“我们将认真抓好贯彻落实，持续提升知识产权治理能力和治理水平，更好发挥知识产权在激励全面创新、促进产业转型、优化营商环境和畅通国内国际双循环等方面的积极作用，为加快实现中国式现代化作出知识产权的更大贡献。”申长雨表示。（吴珂）

（文章来源：中国知识产权报）