The SIPO's Intellectual Property Development and Research Center (IPDRC) has released the 2013 Report on Intellectual Property Development in China. According to the Report, China's Comprehensive Development Index for Intellectual Property improved modestly in 2013, with steady performance in terms of the creation, utilization, protection, and environment of intellectual property. Significant progress was made in a number of areas. Guangdong, Beijing, Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Jiangsu boasted the highest Comprehensive Development Indices for Intellectual Property in China. From 2007 to 2013, the largest average annual increases in the Index occurred in Jiangsu (7.17%), Anhui (6.99%), Hubei (6.85%), Shaanxi (6.71%), and Liaoning (6.18%). The largest increases in the Index in 2013 were seen in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hubei, and Fujian.

According to the Report, as the Index improved, China's intellectual property landscape demonstrated the following characteristics. Firstly, the creation, utilization, protection, and environment for intellectual property were developed in a balanced way with significant regional character. Among the regions with the best performance, Guangdong and Zhejiang had a greater demand for the protection of intellectual property; Beijing and Shanghai had a better environment of intellectual property. Jiangsu, Shandong, Hubei, Fujian, Henan, Hebei, Jiangxi, and Inner Mongolia had protection indices higher than their creation indices. Secondly, the scale and efficiency of intellectual property creation were impressive. In 2013, China made big strides forward in intellectual property. China ranked first in the world in terms of the number of patent applications (825,000 applications), third in the world in terms of the number of international patent applications received submitted through the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) (22,924 applications), and first in the world for the 12th consecutive year in terms of the number of trademark applications (1,881,500 applications). And for the first time in history, China's registered copyrights exceeded 1 million (1,009,700 copyrights). However, the creation of intellectual property in China still focused on quantity and efficiency instead of quality. In many regions across the country, the quality of intellectual property still lagged behind its quantity and efficiency of its creation. For example, in Beijing, which had the highest intellectual property creation and development index in China, the index for the quantity of newly created intellectual property and the index for the efficiency of intellectual property creation were 89.72 and 98.86 respectively while the index for the quality of newly created intellectual property was only 75.36. Thirdly, better protection was provided for intellectual property, with Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Fujian, and other regions standing out for their superior administrative protection. China's intellectual property protection index was 65.83 in 2013, 1.79% higher than in 2012. In 2013, administrative enforcement authorities handled 262,000 cases involving the infringement of intellectual property rights and the production of counterfeit and substandard products, transferred 4,550 cases to judicial authorities, and destroyed 5,441 illegal production sites. Public security authorities around the country uncovered 55,000 cases of infringement and counterfeiting and arrested 59,000 suspects. Procuratorates in China approved the arrest of 14,000 suspects in 9,161 cases of infringement and counterfeiting and prosecuted 23,000 people in 14,000 cases. Judicial authorities in China concluded 12,000 cases of infringement and counterfeiting and imposed penalties on 17,000 people. Fourthly, the environment of intellectual property improved considerably. In 2012, China's intellectual property environment index was 61.74. It was brought up to 67.71 in 2013, with an increase of 5.97. That was mainly due to the constant improvement of China's intellectual property systems, the steady increase of service agencies and personnel, and the rapidly increasing awareness of intellectual property.

The IPDRC published such a report for the first time in 2013, so this is the second time it has done so. It is said that it would release a report on China's intellectual property landscape based on further research every year. Such reports are intended to use a constantly improving evaluation system to demonstrate the situation of patents, trademarks, copyrights, and other intellectual property rights in China, to guide the effective implementation of the National Intellectual Property Strategy, and to promote the scientific development of China's intellectual property.

(Source: SIPO)