The number of patent lawyers in China is expected to reach about 10,000 by 2015, a seven-year national plan for the development of patent agency industry (2009-2015) released Wednesday predicted.

The State Intellectual Property Office, which published the blueprint, said it expected that 1,000 of those could handle complicated and international cases.

As of May 31, China had 716 licensed patent agencies and almost 6,000 patent lawyers, while a total of 17,000 people were involved in the business.

(Source: Xinhua)