China's quantity and quality of patent and trademark applications both increased in the past year, with intellectual property protection getting stronger, according to a senior IP regulator.

Last year, the number of valid domestic invention patents in China exceeded 4.75 million, making it the first country in the world to break the 4-million mark in this sector, Shen Changyu, commissioner of the China National Intellectual Property Administration, said on Tuesday.

Of the total, nearly 1.35 million involve strategic and emerging industries, up 15.7 percent year-on-year, Shen said, while delivering an annual work report to IP sub-bureaus nationwide.

As IP applications grew rapidly at home, China's contribution to global IP filings was unparalleled last year, holding leading positions in the World Intellectual Property Organization's Patent Cooperation Treaty and Madrid and Hague systems for international IP registrations, he added.

With the number of applications continuing to rise, the administration has also set standards for agencies that provide services for registering trademarks and applying for patents to ensure the quality of the applications from the source, Shen said.

Liu Bin, a lawyer at Beijing Zhong Wen Law Firm who specializes in handling IP disputes, said that recent years have witnessed a surge in invention patents applied by domestic enterprises in strategic and emerging fields, including biology, information technology, new materials, green and low-carbon efforts, and high-end equipment manufacturing.

"The growth stems from strong support of the country for scientific and technological innovators, and it's also related to the large number of enterprises in these fields, which are more dynamic in the market," Liu said.

He applauded the administration's efforts to put quality first in reviewing patent and trademark applications, saying that quality is more conducive to promoting innovation and industrial development.

In addition, the efficiency of the patent application review process was improved in 2024, with the average examination time reduced to 15.5 months, the work report showed. The average period spent reviewing a trademark application remained stable at four months, according to the report.

Kang Lixia, a lawyer specializing in handling patent disputes at Beijing's Hanray Law Firm, said the country has provided a quicker channel for reviewing patents related to high-tech and people's livelihoods, as the efficient review process has played a big role in helping patents to be converted into production.

According to the report, China's efforts to protect IP rights have also been further strengthened, with 33 centers newly established across the country last year to help Chinese enterprises tackle IP disputes overseas. This is considered to be important for domestic companies to prevent IP risks and enhance self-protection awareness while going global.

"Enterprises encountering IP problems on the road of overseas development can turn to those centers for help, and they'll receive professional services and solutions," Kang said.

Liu, from Zhong Wen Law Firm, said the centers also offer free IP-related training for enterprises preparing to expand businesses overseas, guiding them on how to protect their own innovations abroad and reminding them not to infringe upon the IP rights of others.

Shen, the commissioner, added that such centers will continue to open this year to ensure that domestic enterprises have stronger and high-quality IP protection.

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