On July 29, the State Council Information Office held a press conference titled "Starting Strong in the 15th Five-Year Plan Period" to discuss IP protection and utilization during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Rui Wenbiao, spokesperson for the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and deputy director, announced that the "15th Five-Year Plan for Intellectual Property Protection and Utilization" will be released and implemented soon. The plan focuses on five key areas: serving the national development strategy, fostering new growth drivers, prioritizing high-quality development, responding to technological innovation needs, and promoting coordinated regional development.
Domestic enterprises with valid invention patents reached 574,000. In the first half of this year, the quality of IP creation in China has steadily improved, marking a smooth start to the 15th Five-Year Plan period. During this period, China granted 453,000 invention patents, approved 2.055 million registered trademarks, and issued 5,061 integrated circuit layout design registrations. By the end of June, the number of high-value invention patents reached 2.36 million, with 16.8 patents per 10,000 people. Patents in next-generation information technology fields like AI, the internet, cloud computing, and big data accounted for 16.5% of all valid invention patents. In terms of corporate innovation, 574,000 domestic enterprises hold valid invention patents, totaling 4.254 million patents, which is 74.8% of the total, up 0.3 percentage points from the end of last year, further solidifying the role of enterprises as the main innovators. Meanwhile, brand protection awareness is rising, with one valid registered trademark for every four business entities.
China is actively leveraging IP to create new competitive advantages internationally. In the first half of this year, Chinese applicants ranked among the top globally in PCT international patent applications, Hague System industrial design applications, and Madrid System trademark registrations. From January to May, China's IP export revenue reached 45.5 billion yuan, a significant year-on-year increase of 64.9%, driving the service trade towards higher quality.
Strategic emerging industry patents account for over 70% of high-value invention patents. The 15th Five-Year Plan outline lists "high-value invention patents per 10,000 people" as a key economic and social development indicator. Liang Xinxin, director of the Strategic Planning Department of CNIPA, explained that high-value invention patents include: strategic emerging industry invention patents, those with patent families abroad, those maintained for over 10 years, and those that have won national science and technology awards or China Patent Awards. "During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the target for high-value invention patents per 10,000 people is set at over 22, an increase of more than 6 from the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan, reflecting confidence in continuously improving innovation capabilities and performance," Liang added.
Emerging and future industries are new engines for economic growth in the 15th Five-Year Plan period. By the end of June this year, the number of valid invention patents in strategic emerging industries in China reached 1.746 million, a 4.3% increase from the end of last year. Currently, strategic emerging industry patents account for over 70% of high-value invention patents, a proportion expected to rise further during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Nationwide, 83 national-level IP protection centers and 54 fast-track rights protection centers have been established, offering "one-stop" comprehensive IP protection services including fast preliminary examination, fast confirmation of rights, and fast enforcement. Guo Wen, CNIPA spokesperson and director of the IP Protection Department, stated that these centers now cover all strategic emerging industries and are expanding into future industries. "Wherever innovation progresses, IP protection follows, efficiently supporting independent innovation in key core technologies," Guo emphasized.
Providing high-quality and efficient examination services for all innovators. Patent and trademark examination is a crucial part of the IP chain. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the average examination period for invention patents was reduced to 15 months, and for trademark registration, it was stabilized at 4 months, both reaching internationally advanced levels under similar systems, offering efficient services to innovators. Liu Yi, director of the Legal Affairs Department of CNIPA, stated that in terms of patent and trademark examination model innovation, there will be greater implementation of on-demand examination, combining priority, fast, and deferred examination models to meet diverse innovator needs. To improve quality, the examination authorization process will be strictly controlled, with enhanced scrutiny of inventiveness to ensure the stability of granted rights. In recent years, the IP department has continuously promoted examination model innovation, improving both quality and efficiency, effectively adapting to the rapid development, high efficiency, and fast iteration characteristics of emerging fields. In exploring data IP protection, relevant data IP registration certificates have been successfully used in scenarios like judicial rulings and asset capitalization, accumulating nearly 16 billion yuan in financing credit enhancement, and over 2 billion yuan in transactions, licensing, and securitization.
Rui Wenbiao said that from the IP perspective, it is necessary to provide more effective authorization and confirmation models for emerging fields, with clearer ownership, scope, and forms of protection, as well as smoother collaborative protection systems and infringement response mechanisms. This will lay a solid institutional foundation for cultivating new quality productive forces and promoting the high-quality development of emerging and future industries.
Rui Wenbiao introduced that the next steps will align with the strategic goals set in the "Outline for Building a Strong Intellectual Property Nation (2021-2035)". Following the timeline, task list, and blueprint outlined in the "15th Five-Year Plan for Intellectual Property Protection and Utilization," efforts will be made to advance IP work during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. This will ensure that by 2030, China's comprehensive IP strength and international competitiveness are further enhanced, IP protection becomes more robust, market value more prominent, public services higher quality, the comprehensive management system more efficient, and international cooperation deeper, achieving decisive progress in building a strong IP nation.