Source: China Daily

Experts at a recent forum on high-value patents, organized by the State Intellectual Property Office, called for more attention to be given to encouraging, cultivating and improving patent quality rather than just quantity.

Industry insiders said high-value patents are those that contain the following four characteristics: high-level research outcomes and innovative technology, good stability, promising market prospects and strong competitiveness.

In recent years, Chinese patent authorities have carried out a package of plans to pioneer high-value patent work all over the country and have gained significant experience.

The winning projects of the WIPO-SIPO Award for Chinese Outstanding Patented Innovation, held by SIPO and the World Intellectual Property Organization annually, are the best examples of high-value patents, said delegates at the forum.

"The value of a patent should be displayed in its significance for an enterprise's development, the local economy and even for a country's national strategy," said Zhong Chunyan, a winner of the award.

"Another essential factor is its market value. If a patent is composed of cutting-edge technology but cannot bring the expected market value and income, it cannot be called a high-value patent," she said.

However, the value of a patent is not only reflected in direct economic benefits. In the general layout and the development process of an enterprise, the market value brought by a patent cannot be determined only by economic factors, said representatives at the forum.

The cultivation of high-value patents should involve cooperation among different levels of government departments and diverse industrial factors, said delegates at the forum.

They said such cultivation includes three steps. The first is to undertake patent navigation, which means to perform a comprehensive analysis on the current status and future trend of a key technology.

The second is that people should focus on the quality of the innovation itself, the efficiency of application and the strength of the protections in place.

Finally, professional patent operation is required. The government should foster and optimize the patent management system, to provide a market-oriented service.

According to statistics from SIPO, the average ownership of patents in China has reached 8.0 per 10,000 people. SIPO accepted 1.34 million applications for invention patents last year, ranking No 1 in the world for six consecutive years.

"Currently, China still lacks good-quality patents, but the protection and operation of patents have become generally accepted and understood ideas," said Zhang Zhicheng, an official at SIPO. He added that the organization is making progress in every factor involved in patent creation, application, scrutiny, protection and operation.

"As a special technological product, a patent should have its value realized through commodity circulation and trade," said Xia Pingjian, general manager of the National Engineering Research Center of Digital Television.

"The next step is to study how to improve the quality of the product and expand the market based on those blooming patent fruits," Xia said.