Chinese Utility Model Grants Down 25.5% in 2023, Invention Patent Grants Up 15.4% in Shift from Quantity to Quality

In China’s shift from quantity to quality, 25.5% fewer utility models were granted in 2023 versus 2022. Design patent grants were also down 11.5% according to a January 16, 2024 press conference held by the State Council Information Office. In contrast, invention patent grants were up 15.4%. Invention patent applications are substantively examined while utility models and designs only undergo a preliminary examination. 2024 may show a continuing downward trend for utility models as the amended Patent Examination Guidelines, effective January 20, 2024, introduce a preliminary examination of utility models for inventiveness.

Year	Patent	Utility Model	Design	Total
2022	798,000	2.804 million	721,000	4.323 million
2023	921,000	2.09 million	638,000	3.649 million

Hu Wenhui, Deputy Director of the China National Intellectual Property Administration, stated:

1. Main data on intellectual property rights

(1) Patents

Throughout the year, 921,000 invention patents, 2.09 million utility model patents, and 638,000 design patents were authorized. 65,000 patent reexamination cases were concluded and 7,700 invalidation cases were concluded. 74,000 PCT international patent applications were accepted. Chinese applicants submitted 1,814 international applications for designs in The Hague.

As of the end of 2023, the number of valid invention patents in China was 4.991 million. Among them, the effective number of domestic (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) invention patents is 4.015 million. my country has 11.8 high-value invention patents per 10,000 people.

(2) Trademarks

There were 4.383 million registered trademarks throughout the year. We completed review of 153,000 trademark opposition cases and 373,000 trademark review cases of various types. We received 6,196 applications for Madrid trademark international registration from Chinese applicants.

As of the end of 2023, the number of valid trademark registrations in China was 46.146 million.

(3) Geographical indications

Throughout the year, 13 geographical indication products were approved, and 201 registrations of geographical indications as collective trademarks and certification trademarks were approved. 5,842 business entities were approved to use special signs for geographical indications.

As of the end of 2023, China has approved a total of 2,508 geographical indication products, approved 7,277 registrations of geographical indications as collective trademarks and certification marks, the total number of business entities specializing in geographical indications has reached 26,000, and the annual output value of geographical indication products exceeds 800 billion RMB.

(4) Integrated circuit layout design

Throughout the year, 11,000 integrated circuit layout designs were registered and certified.

As of the end of 2023, a total of 72,000 integrated circuit layout designs have been issued in China.

…

As of the end of 2023, the number of valid invention patents in China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) was 4.015 million, a year-on-year increase of 22.4%, exceeding 4 million for the first time. Among them, the number of high-value invention patents was 1.665 million, accounting for 41.5%, an increase of 1.1 percentage points from the previous year. The number of valid domestic registered trademarks was 44.047 million, a year-on-year increase of 8.4%.

A full transcript of the press conference is available here (Chinese only) and a recording of the press conference is available here (Chinese only).

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