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China National Intellectual Property Administration  (Hereinafter referred to as CNIPA) held the regular news conference of the third quarter from 10am to 11am on 9th, July (Thursday). This conference released the main IP statistics of the first half year of 2020.
 
In the first half year of 2020, the examination period for invention patent, high value patent, utility model patent and design patents was 20.3 months, 15.2 months, 6.4 months and 3.2 months respectively.
 
The main IP statistics of the first half year of 2020
 
In the first half year of 2020, the main IP index of China was consistent with the expectation, and IP sector maintained steady development.
 
(1) Patent. In the first half year, 683,000 applications for invention patent were filed in China, and  217,000 were granted.Thereinto 176,000 were from domestic applicants. Among the granted domestic invention patents, 169,000 were service inventions, accounting for 96.0%; 7,000 were non-service inventions accounting for 4.0%. The top three domestic companies (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan) in terms of the granted invention patents in turn are:
 
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (2,772),
OPPO Guangdong Mobile Communications Co., Ltd. (1,925)
BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. (1,432)
 
As of the end of June 2020, the effective number of domestic invention patents (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) was 1.996 million, and the number of invention patents per 10,000 people reached 14.3. The top three provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) in terms of the number of invention patents per 10,000 people in turn are:
Beijing (141.5),
Shanghai (56.1),
Jiangsu (31.9)
 
In the first half year, a total number of accepted  PCT applications was 29,500, a year-on-year growth of 22.6%. Among them, 26,800 applications were from domestic applicants, a year-on-year increase of 20.7%. The top three provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) in terms of the accepted PCT applications in turn are:
Guangdong (10,900),
Beijing (3,800),
Jiangsu (3,300).
 
In the first half year, 26,200 patent reexamination requests were accpeted; 25,700 were concluded. 2,600 patents invalidation requests were accepted, and 4,300 were concluded.
 
The examination period for Chinese invention patent, high value patents, utility model patent and design patent was 20.3 months, 15.2 months, 6.4 months and 3.2 months respectively.
 
(2) Trademarks. In the first half year, the number of trademark applications in China was 4.284 million; the number of trademark registrations was 2.629 million. By the end of June 2020, the number of valid registered trademarks in China was 27.414 million.
 
A total of 3,875 applications for Madrid trademark international registration from Chinese applicants were received, with a year-on-year increase of 36.0%. As of the end of June 2020, the number of valid Madrid Trademark Registration of Chinese applicants was 41,000.
 
In the first half year, a total of 166,000 requests for various trademark review were received, and 192,000 were concluded. The average examination period for trademark registration was stabilized at 4.5 months or less.
 
(3) Geographical indications. In the first half of 2020, CNIPA approved 322 enterprises using the specail signs of geographical indications, and approved the registration of 364 geographical indication trademarks. By the end of June 2020, a toal of 2,385 products protected by geographical indication were approved, 8,811 enterprises were approved for the use of special signs, 5,682 geographical indication trademarks were registered in total.
 
(4) Integrated circuit layout. In the first half of 2020, the number of applications for integrated circuit layout design registration was 5,176, a growth of 78.2% on year-on-year basis; 5,262 certificates were issued, with a year-on-year increase of 111.6%.
 
(5) IP protection and application. In the first half year, the total number of administrative adjudication cases concerning patent infringement disputes nationwide was 5,320. The national patent and trademark pledge financing reached CNY 85.3 billion, a year-on-year increase of 45%, with 4,678 pledged projects involved, a year-on-year increase of 52%. Among them, the amount of patent pledge financing was CNY 65.1 billion, a year-on-year growth of 61%, the number of pledged projects was 4,171, an increase of 54% on year-on-year basis; the total amount of trademark pledge financing was CNY 20.2 billion, a year-on-year growth of 8.8%, and the number of pledged projects was 507, an increase of 34% on year-on-year basis.
 
The characistics of  the ststistics of the first half year are as follow
 
First, the situation of domestic patent and trademark application maintained stable. In the first half year, 2.195 million applications for three types of patents, and 4.17 million applications for trademarks were filed by domestic applicants. The overall situation of patent and trademark application was stable, which fully demonstrated that Chinese market players were responding to the epidemic actively and the resumption of production was accelerated.
 
Second, the dominant position of domestic companies in patent application has been continously consolidated. In the first half year, 229,000 domestic companies applied for patents, increased by 32,000 compared with the same period last year. A total of 404,000 invention patent applications were filed by domestic enterprises, a year-on-year increase of 12%. Among the domestic applications for invention patent, enterprises accounted for 66.6%,  rising by 3.2 percentage points from the previous year and fully demonstrating the continuously consolidated dominant position of domestic companies in patent applications.
 
Third, the using scale of the specail signs of geographical indications was gradually expanding. In the first half year, China approved 322 enterprises for using the specail signs of geographical indications, a significant  increase compared with the number of 116 in the same period of last year, showing that by strengthening the protection of geographical indications with notable geographical characteristics, distinctive cultural features and outstanding quality characteristics, the number of geographical indications was constantly increasing, the amount of market players using geographical indications special signs was gradually rising and the scale was further expanding.
 
Fourth, overseas IP portfolio planning of market players was developed steadily. In the first half year, 26,800 PCT applications were filed by Chinese applicants before CNIPA, a year-on-year increase of 20.7%; 3,875 applications for Madrid international trademark registration were filed, a year-on-year increase of 36.0%, the  rapid growth showing the awareness of overseas IP portfolio planning of Chinese market players was enhanced and the situation of IP portfilo planning was steadily developed.
 
The aformentioned is the main IP statistics of the first half of 2020.
 

Date: July, 9th, 2020
Source: CNIPA