IP field sees increase of engagement

The number of people engaged in the field of intellectual property in China has increased to 860,000 by the end of last year from 690,000 in late 2020, an official from the country's top IP regulator said on Tuesday.

Zhang Zhicheng, head of the China National Intellectual Property Administration's Personnel Department, told a news conference that talent in IP protection, utilization, public service and international affairs has all made progress since 2021.

He cited data as revealing that as of December 2023, more than 30,000 people have joined the team of protecting IP rights, with over 76,000 people obtaining the qualification of patent attorney and some 4,000 people providing IP-related information services.

Meanwhile, to serve high-level opening-up, China has also trained about 270 personnel for international review of IP rights, and selected 119 experts for helping deal with overseas IP disputes, he added.

With the construction of talent highland, the IP-related work in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong province has achieved remarkable results, he said, noting that the three areas have seen stronger talent exchanges and smoother career development channels.

He added that by the end of 2023, the number of high-value invention patents per 10,000 people in the three regions was more than twice the national average.

In addition, the country's effort in the building of IP think tanks has been strengthened, attracting a number of specialists from various IP areas, such as patents, trademarks, geographical indications, copyrights, trade secrets and anti-monopoly, according to him.

Among the experts, a few newcomers focus on emerging industries such as big data, artificial intelligence, new materials, new energy, chips, high-end manufacturing and traditional Chinese medicines, he said.