Patent applications up

China had the world's sixth largest number of international patent applications in 2008, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The country overtook the United Kingdom in the ratings, following the United States, Japan, Germany, South Korea and France, according to the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO).

China filed 6,089 patent applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) in 2008, up 11.9 percent over previous year, according to SIPO statistics.

Chinese firms played an active role in domestic patent applications. Half of the 194,000 patent applications for inventions were handed in by local companies last year, said SIPO Director Tian Lipu.

About 40,500 companies submitted patent applications last year, up 23.9 percent over 2007.

(Source: China Daily)

AFD China Newsletter is intended to provide our clients and friends information only. It should not constitute legal advice of AFD China or any of its attorneys, and AFD China will not be held responsible for any reliance on its contents.