IT-related Patent Applications Exceed 30% of the Total

     Up until June 30, 2007, IT-related patent applications filed in China have exceeded 32% of the total applications of all categories, and applications for invention patents have accounted for 42% of the total.
     On Aug. 27, at the 9th Information Technology Patent Trend Press Conference held in Shanghai, the Department of Science & Technology of the Ministry of Information Industry released the Report on the Analysis of Information Technology Patent Trends in 2007. Compared with the data from previous years, the average annual growth rate of IT patent applications has reached 23.67%, maintaining a high growth rate and far exceeding the average of 18.11% of all categories.
In terms of patent applications filed in China’s key cities, Beijing, Shenzhen and Shanghai take the leading position. This is mainly due to the reward policy on patent applications implemented after 2003, which has an obvious effect on the country's large and medium-sized cities.
     In the IT field, though the total number of patent applications filed by domestic applicants exceeds those filed by foreign applicants in China, domestic patent applications for inventions were only 56.28% of the overseas invention patent applications.
     The report also announced the top ten domestic enterprises in terms of invention patents. Up to now, Huawei ranks No. 1 with 11,503 invention patents, followed by Zhongxing Communication, United Gene and Lenovo Group. (Xinhua Network)

Number of Invention Patents: A Major Indicator on Accreditation of Enterprise Technology Centers
     On Sept. 10, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) released the 2007 evaluation results of State-Accredited enterprise technology centers on its website. The number of invention patents held by an enterprise has become an important indicator in the evaluation system, and it is also the first appraisal of State-Accredited enterprise technology centers after the newly revised Measures for the Management of State-Accredited Enterprise Technology Centers (hereafter referred to as Measures) took effect on May 20, 2007.
      Along with the evaluation results, NDRC announced the top 100 enterprises in research and development (R&D), the top 50 holders of invention patents, and those with business scales valued over RMB10 billion.　
      Among the top 50 largest invention patent holders, 12 enterprises own more than 100 invention patents respectively, with Sinopec at the top, PetroChina fourth, and Haier seventh. The three companies, at the same time, are also the first, second and seventh in business scale, and the second, first, and fifth in R&D investment. This indicates that enterprises with a larger business scale and more R&D investment own more invention patents.
      In accordance with the Measures, applications for accreditation will be reviewed and granted once a year, and the deadline for submission of applications is May 15 each year. An applicant must meet the following eight basic requirements, eligible R&D and testing conditions; technologically creative capabilities and relatively high R&D investment; core technology with self-owned IPR, well-known brand and international competitiveness; a leading level of R&D and innovation in its industry; a complete organization structure and a definite development plan and goals; a stable cooperation mechanism with universities and research institutions; an IPR management system; and notable achievements in technological innovation. 　　　　
      According to an official with NDRC in charge of this matter, the publication of the business scale and innovation of domestic enterprises aims at encouraging Chinese enterprises to invest more in R&D so as to strengthen their innovation capability and to expand their business. The country will give more policy and financial support to the enterprises in the list. (SIPO Website)

Translated by Zhang Meichang