China authorized over a million new invention patents in 2024 as the country continues to lead the way in terms of international patent, trademark and design applications around the world, an official with the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) said on Wednesday.
China has grown into a global leader in innovation ever since joining the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) under the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 1994, with the number of patent applications through this mechanism soaring from just 98 in the first year to over 75,000 in 2024, according to the latest data.
Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, Hu Wenhui, deputy director of National Intellectual Property Administration, outlined that more efficient and accurate approval processes helped see an increased number of approvals being made in 2024.
"A total of 1.045 million invention patents were authorized in 2024, up 13.5 percent year on year. There were 67,000 patent reexamination and invalidation cases concluded. The examination period of invention patents was reduced to 15 and a half months, and the accuracy rate of settlements was increased to 95.2 percent, while 75,000 PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) international patent applications were accepted," he said.
Hu noted that China had the highest number of submissions through the WIPO's Hague System, which allows for design rights to be simultaneously applied across multiple countries and regions, with 4,868 international design filings being made by Chinese applicants, up 29.5 percent year on year, and ranking first in the world.
The official said China continues to be world leader in terms of the overall number of invention patents filed, which comes amid a major push for innovation and high-quality development in the country.
"By the end of 2024, the number of effective domestic invention patents in China has reached 4.756 million, while China became the first country in the world to exceed 4 million. The number of high-value invention patents has reached 14 per 10,000 people, fulfilling the goal set out in the national 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) ahead of schedule," said Hu.
There was also a rise in the number of registered trademarks in 2024, with this figure reaching 4.781 million, up 9.1 percent year on year, according to Hu. A total of 383,000 trademark review cases and 103,000 opposition cases were concluded, while over 7,000 applications were received from Chinese applicants using the WIPO's Madrid System, up 13.6 percent year on year. By the end of 2024, the number of valid trademarks registered in China stood at 47.62 million, the official said.
In addition, Hu noted 36 geographical indication products were approved throughout the year, bringing the total number to 2,544 by the end of 2024, with the number of special geographical indication business entities totaled nearly 33,000 by the end of last year. The direct output value of these products has exceeded 960 billion yuan (about 131 billion U.S. dollars), growing steadily for many years, Hu said.
A total of 11,000 layout designs of integrated circuits were registered and issued in 2024, bringing the total number to 83,000 by the end of the year, the official added.
Meanwhile, China has launched the second batch of 15 national intellectual property (IP) protection demonstration zones, according to the CNIPA, with six national IP protection centers and seven rapid-response IP rights protection centers established, bringing the total number to 124. A total of 33 branch centers for handling overseas IP disputes have been built, meaning there are now 80 in total, Hu said.
In addition, a total of 613,000 patent ownership transfer licenses were filed nationwide throughout 2024, representing a 29.9 percent increase compared to the previous year, said the official.
China authorizes over one million invention patents in 2024: official
