Since the beginning of this year, China's intellectual property (IP) work has continued the high-quality development momentum seen during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, achieving a steady start and a sound opening for the 15th Five-Year Plan.

Based on the statistical data, in the first half of the year, there were a total of 453,000 invention patents granted, 2.055 million trademarks approved for registration, 64 geographical indication products recognized, 8 geographical indications approved for registration as collective marks or certification marks, and 5,061 integrated circuit layout design registrations certified. In addition, 2 new national-level IP protection centers and 6 fast IP rights protection centers were approved for construction, with over 19,000 enterprises benefiting from patent and trademark pledge financing nationwide.

"Two improvements": the first is the steady quality improvement of IP creation. By the end of June, the number of high-value invention patents in China reached 2.36 million, with 16.8 high-value invention patents per 10,000 population. The second is the continuous growth of internal impetus for innovation-driven development among enterprises. The number of domestic enterprises holding valid invention patents reached 574,000, with the number of valid invention patents held by these enterprises reaching 4.254 million, accounting for 74.8% of the domestic total—up 0.3% compared to the end of the previous year. The dominant role of enterprises in innovation has been further consolidated.

"Two enhancement": the first is the continuous enhancement of innovation momentum in key sectors. By the end of June, valid invention patents in the new-generation information technology fields—such as AI, the Internet, cloud computing, and big data—accounted for 16.5% of the total. The accelerated accumulation of patents in cutting-edge sectors is empowering and enabling the creation of new economic growth drivers. The second is the significant enhancement of China's international competitiveness in IP area. In the first half of 2026, PCT international patent applications, Hague System international industrial design applications, and Madrid System international trademark registrations filed by Chinese applicants all remained among the world's top ranks, with overall scale holding steady with moderate growth. In the first 5 months of the year, China's exports of IP usage fees reached RMB 45.5 billion, a significant year-on-year increase of 64.9%.

From SCIO

July 29th, 2026