China's PCT Filings Hit a Record High of 29,846 in 2015

2016/04/01

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) issued a report analyzing the amount and sources of global IP applications in 2015, including patents, trademarks and industrial designs. According to the report, China hit a record high of 29,846 international patent applications under Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), up 16.8%. In 2015, China filed 2,401 applications for trademark registrations under the Madrid System, ranking seventh globally, making the best performance since China became a member in 1989.
"The performance meets our expectation. It is inseparable with our endeavor in thoroughly implementing National IP Strategy, building an IP powerhouse and making full use of IP system to promote innovation and development, " said Li Shunde, dean of Law and IP Faculty of University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in an interview with CIP News.
The report revealed that global patent applications filed under PCT hit a record high of 218,000. China maintains its momentum in the growth rate of PCT applications, ranking 3rd in the world behind the United States and Japan for three consecutive years. "Over the past decade, China's PCT applications have experienced rapid growth, and domestic patent applications ranked 1st in the world for five consecutive years. China has been playing an important role in global innovation with increasing innovation capability and awareness of IP. Continuous growth in China's trademark applications under Madrid System indicates that China has speeded up their pace in doing business overseas. Meanwhile, Chinese enterprises have paid much attention to improve quality and efficiency of development and build international brands to take up dominant position in global market," Chen Hongbing, director of WIPO China Office, told CIP News. He contributed the achievements to pursuit of an innovation-driven economy of Chinese government.
It is worth mentioning that China took four spots in top 20 companies that filed the highest number  of PCT applications. Huawei topped the world and ZTE remained among the top 3. BOE and Tencent ranked 14th and 20th respectively. "The data showed that with the establishment and implementation of laws and regulations related to innovation, the enterprises' innovation ability have been spurred," Li Shunde said. He argued Chinese enterprises have been increasingly aware of capitalizing on legal tools of IP for overseas expansion which provide strong support of China's scientific and technological innovation.


Source: China IP News