Source: China IP News

Recently, the 2018 National Patent Strength Status Report, compiled by Intellectual Property Utilization and Promotion Department and Intellectual Property Development and Research Center, both under the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) was released in Beijing. The Report made a comprehensive and objective evaluation on the patent strength of the nation's 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) , establishing a patent strength indicator system covering five aspects including patent creation, utilization, protection, administration and service.

According to the Report, in 2018, China saw steady improvement in patent creation, rapid progress in patent transformation and utilization, continuous improvement in patent protection, notable development in the reform of delegating power and optimizing services in the field of IP, and increased enhancement in patent service capability.

According to Deng Yiyou, one of the editors of the Report, in a bid to make local places pay more attention to patent quality improvement, the Report has lowered the Patent Quantity Deviation Indicator from 10% in 2017 to 7% to shift attention from patent quantity to patent quality. Guangdong, Beijing, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, Shanghai, Sichuan, Hubei, Chongqing, and Fujian take up the top 10 spots in patent comprehensive strength. Moreover, the Report has continued to evaluate patent strength in various regions. Beijing, Guangdong, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang are the top five in regional patent quality in 2018.  It is worth mentioning that thanks to the growth of pledge financing，recorded value of licenses  as well as the contribution of industrial enterprises owning notable number of patents, Inner Mongolia has risen by five places compared with last year.

The Report has examined the regional innovation and high-quality development of leading, supportive and special intellectual property provinces. It can be seen that leading pilot provinces such as Shanghai, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Sichuan have exerted their resources to explore more than 10 pilot programs such as the reform of the distribution of IP rights and interests, the establishment of the IP consultation mechanism in provincial and ministerial level which have been replicated and promoted across the country, further playing a leading and demonstrative role.

Compared with the rankings of the 2017 comprehensive strength indicator, the regions with major position changes in the ranking in 2018 are: Gansu has risen by three, and Inner Mongolia, Henan, Hubei, and Chongqing have risen by two. According to a principal of Gansu Provincial Intellectual Property Office, 2018 saw a record high in strengthening patent administrative law enforcement, special funds for IP work, and the number of state-level demonstration enterprises in the province.

"Patent strength refers to the sum of patent capabilities supporting economic and social development. The research and publication of patent strength, which is based on patent strength indicator system, oriented towards the high-quality development of regional national economy and society, has made a comprehensive and objective evaluation on patent strength," said the person in charge of the released Report.