Hu Wenhui, deputy director of the National Intellectual Property Administration, introduced at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on January 16 that by the end of 2023, China’s domestic (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) invention patent ownership had reached 4.015 million, an increase of 22.4% year-on-year, making it the first country in the world to have more than 4 million valid domestic invention patents.

Hu Wenhui said that it took China 31 years to reach the first 1 million valid domestic invention patents, but only one and a half years to break through the fourth 1 million. Among these more than 4 million valid invention patents, the proportion of high-value invention patents reached more than 40%. China has become a veritable intellectual property power, and continues to contribute important strength to global innovation and development.

Data show that China authorized 921,000 invention patents, 2.09 million utility model patents, and 638,000 design patents in 2023. 65,000 patent reexamination cases were concluded, and 7,700 invalidation cases were concluded. 74,000 PCT international patent applications were accepted. Chinese applicants submitted 1,814 Hague design international applications.

“By the end of 2023, China’s valid invention patents amounted to 4.991 million.” Hu Wenhui said that among them, the domestic (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) valid invention patents amounted to 4.015 million. China has 11.8 high-value invention patents per 10,000 population.