Instrument patents soar

China's musical instrument patents reached 498 last year, up a record 74.73 percent, compared with a growth rate of 9.61 percent in 2006 and 30 percent in 2005, statistics from China Patent Database indicate. Ninety-seven percent were invention patents, 188 practical patents and 213 were exterior design patents. Percussion patents recorded the highest increase at 12 times higher than 2006. Of new patents, 354 were from the mainland, accounting for 71.08 percent, up by 65.42 percent year-on-year. A broader range of countries and regions, including the United States, Germany, Japan and China's Taiwan province, have applied for patents on the mainland market, an increase of 3.31 percent last year.

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