China's IPR growth spurs innovation

China has seen a rapid growth of patents and trademarks over the past decade, showing intellectual property rights have played a big role in stimulating innovation, officials from the country's top IPR regulator said on Sunday.

From 2012 to September this year the China National Intellectual Property Administration granted 3.95 million invention patents, an average annual increase of 13.8 percent, and also registered 35.56 million trademarks, an annual rise of 25.5 percent on average, according to statistics provided by the administration.

"The figures show IPR has developed fast in the past 10 years, making innovation more energetic," Hu Wenhui, deputy head of the administration, said at a news conference.

People's awareness of IPR protection has been enhanced, while the number of IPR-related personnel nationwide has also reached more than 700,000, he added.

Ge Shu, head of the administration's strategic planning department, also praised these achievements, saying it should be held responsible for the country's stronger protection and application of IPR.

As of September, the number of valid invention patents in the Chinese mainland had reached 3.15 million, which has further consolidated the status of the country's innovation power around the world, he said.

About 326,000 enterprises across the country hold such patents as of the end of July. Of these, 156,000 focus on high-tech industries.

Ge said the administration will further help improve the quality of patents and accelerate the reviewing time of IPR-related applications, to fully stimulate innovation in all walks of life and promote high-quality development.