China is focusing on improvements in patent quality, said Shen Changyu, commissioner of the State Intellectual Property Office on April 27.

SIPO received some 928,000 applications for invention patents in 2014, topping the world for the fourth consecutive year and representing a 12.5 percent rise from a year earlier.

About 26,000 international applications were filed with SIPO through the Patent Cooperation Treaty, ranking third in the world.

Despite that growth, China is still short of core patents, Shen said during SIPO's Open House event.

"We are putting more efforts into improving patent quality while continuing to maintain a steady increase," he said.

The commissioner called on professionals including experts brought in through national overseas recruitment programs to develop more high-value patented technologies and contribute to China's change from a large IP filer to a strong IP powerhouse.

Small and micro businesses are another dynamic force to promote such change. SIPO has rolled out a series of policies to help small businesses deal with difficulties they face in financing and development, Shen said.

Those efforts include giving priority to applications for patents in urgent need, awarding the first invention patent granted to a small business and connecting patent agents with small businesses to offer free aid at least once a year.

(Source: China Daily)