Patent applications in Chinese universities increase

For the past 10 years, there has been a surge of patent activities in Chinese universities, with an increase in patent applications from 106,000 to 367,2000.  

According to Haoqi Tain, an IP manager at Purplevine IP Group in Shenzhen, the surge in patent applications in China “can be attributed to the growing emphasis on intellectual property protection across all sectors of society. Chinese companies are also experiencing heightened awareness due to rising concerns about anti-globalization and trade protectionism.” 

Chinese universities continuously ranked first in the world for both patent granted and applications throughout this time, particularly in developing industries like semiconductor devices, photovoltaic materials and third-generation semiconductors. 

“Thanks to local patent application incentives, there has been a gradual decline in utility model and design patent applications over the years,” said Haoqi. “However, invention patent applications, particularly in dynamic fields like semiconductors, computer algorithms, and new energy vehicles, remain robust. I anticipate that Chinese patent applications will continue to follow this trend in the coming months or years.”