According to the latest statistics, in 2009, SIPO received a total of 976,686 applications, up 17.9% year on year, 877,611 of which were from domestic, representing 89.9% of the total and up 22.4% over the previous year; 99,075 of which were from abroad, or 10.1% , down 10.9%.

Among the patent applications received in 2009, there were 229,096 inventions, up 17.7%; 308,861 utility models, up 37.9%; 339,654 designs, up 13.7%. SIPO granted a total of 581,992 patents, up 41.2%, among them, 501,786 were granted to domestic filers, representing 86.2% of the total and up 42.4%; 80,206 were granted to foreign filers, or 13.8% and up 34.6%.

According to experts from SIPO, the patent application and grant in China can be summarized as follows: First, patent applications maintained steady and relatively fast growth; Second, structure of domestic patent applications and grants was significantly optimized; Third, the volume of patent grants increased rapidly and patent examination capacity was palpably enhanced.

(China IP News)