IP protection bolstered as approvals rise

China protection of intellectual property was strengthened last year as there was a rapid growth in IP applications, registrations and approvals, according to a white paper released on Friday.
The paper, issued by the China National Intellectual Property Administration, said the country efforts, capabilities and systems to protect IP rights and handle relevant lawsuits were all improved in 2022.
In 2022, the number of valid invention patents exceeded 4.21 million, up 17.1 percent year-on-year, and utility model patents were over 10.83 million, up 17.2 percent year-on-year, said the paper.
It also said that trademarks registered in China reached 42.67 million by the end of last year, up 14.6 percent year-on-year, and copyright registrations in 2022 also increased 1.4 percent compared with 2021.The paper also said patent applications and trademark registrations were both streamlined.