China strengthens IP protection framework

To promote the high-quality development of the private sector, China will continue its strong intellectual property protection of private enterprises at home and abroad, the country's top IP regulator said.

"We've enhanced the protection and incentives for the original innovation of private companies, providing them with quick channels and comprehensive services in safeguarding their IP rights and interests," Guo Wen, an official from the National Intellectual Property Administration, told a news conference on Friday.

She cited an IP center in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, as an example, explaining that it has established a timely response mechanism to support local private startups with services such as patent analysis and trademark early warning, thereby advancing their innovation and development.

Meanwhile, the administration has also focused more on patent infringements in the private sector and explored different ways to address relevant problems, she added.

Last year, IP regulators nationwide handled 72,000 patent infringement disputes, of which more than 51 percent involved private enterprises, according to data released by the administration.

Mediation organizations also helped tackle nearly 140,000 IP-related cases in 2024, serving 157,000 private companies, the data said.

Additionally, the administration has established 71 guidance centers and four IP industrial institutes across the country to optimize services and provide aid for private entities going global in the prevention of IP risks and handling IP disputes overseas, Guo added.

The data show that these centers and institutes served various enterprises 886 times last year, helping them recover economic losses of 14.15 billion yuan ($1.95 billion).

Guo also called for implementing a regulation on resolving IP disputes related to foreign matters, which was issued by the State Council, China's Cabinet, last week and will come into force on May 1.

She noted that the administration will work with other authorities to provide better IP services and stronger support for private and other entities to go global.

Wang Peizhang, another official from the administration, said that the quality of patents in China has also been further improved, with many patents transformed into actual benefits to serve high-quality economic growth.

He revealed that the number of high-value invention patents per 10,000 in the country reached 14 by the end of last year, achieving the expected target of the national 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) ahead of schedule.

The number of valid invention patents in strategic emerging industries exceeded 1.34 million as of December 2024, a year-on-year increase of 15.7 percent, according to the data.

Among the new patent applications by universities and research institutions, the proportion of invention patents rose to 70.4 percent last year, the data show.

caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn