According to recently released annual statistical data from China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), there were 1,828,054 invention patent applications filed in 2024; 3,184,652 utility model applications filed in 2024; and 819,213 industrial design applications filed in 2024. The number of invention patent applications and grants have both climbed annually at a regular pace but grants faced a steep drop in the first half of 2025. Annual utility model applications have grown regularly also, except for a small drop in …
Category: Patents
Chinese Invention Patent Grants Down Almost 29% in First Half of 2025
Per statistics released by China’s Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) on July 14, 2025, Chinese invention patent grants are down 28.75% in the first half of 2025 versus the first half of 2024. Specifically, the number of invention patents granted decreased by 159,187 to 394,462 grants. Utility model grants also dropped by 21.71% in the first half of 2025 year-on-year to 756,682 grants (down by 209,832 grants). However, design patent grants increased by 3.12% year-on-year to 314,457 grants (up by 9,503 grants).
Supreme People’s Court Fines Patentee for Failure to Report Amendment of Claims During Invalidation to Trial Court
In decision (2023)最高法知民终1295号 released on July 3, 2025, China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) held that failure to notify a People’s Court (trial court) of a claim amendment made during an invalidation proceeding is subject to a fine. The SPC also reversed the People’s Court’s judgement of infringement based on the amendments made during the invalidation proceeding. Accordingly, a 100,000 RMB win at the first instance turned into a 150,000 RMB loss at the second instance.
China’s National Intellectual Property Administration Releases Notice on the Pilot Program to Optimize the Business Environment in the Field of Intellectual Property
On June 23, 2025, China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) in conjunction with 5 other government departments, released the “Notice of the General Office (Office) of Six Departments including the China National Intellectual Property Administration on the Pilot Work of Optimizing Business Environment in the Field of Intellectual Property” (国家知识产权局等6部门办公厅（室）关于开展优化知识产权领域营商环境试点工作的通知). The pilot will be launched in six cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. The Notice includes a list of pilot tasks including: Promote research on intellectual property …