In January 2021, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) released the 2020 statistics on patents, trademarks and geographical indications (GI). According to the data, Chinese IPRs were not affected by Covid-19 in 2020, and in fact rose to a new level. This can be seen in three areas.
For example, CNIPA granted a total of 530,000 invention patents in 2020, a year-on-year increase of 17.1%. In addition, 5,761,000 trademarks were registered and 765 registered trademarks were approved for GIs. During the epidemic, the agency adjusted its operation and improved the quality and efficiency of examinations. The examination time for high-value patents was reduced to 14 months, and the average examination time for invention patents was reduced to 20 months. For trademark applications, the average examination time was reduced to four months.
In addition, other IP measures have also been strengthened. In the two years since the Blue Sky Project was launched, 2,950 patent and trademark agencies have been interviewed, of which 1,095 agencies were ordered to make corrections. Further investigations were conducted into 330 suspected cases of illegal trademark and patent filing activities, and a total of 182 administrative penalties were imposed.
Overall, the innovation capability of Chinese enterprises was further strengthened. 246,000 enterprises in China had valid invention patents in 2020, an increase of 33,000 from the previous year. This includes 105,000 high-tech enterprises with 922,000 valid invention patents, accounting for nearly 60% of valid invention patents held by domestic enterprises.
Source: China National Intellectual Property Administration
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