China’s patent application and grant statistics for the first three quarters of 2015 showed three main features.
Rapid growth in applications
China received 1,876,228 applications for inventions, utility models and designs, up 22.0% year-on-year. Invention patent applications rose by 21.7%, while utility model applications recorded the largest increase among the three categories, at 33.6%.
Growth in grants across all three categories
A total of 1,176,377 invention, utility model and design patents were granted, up 25.8% year-on-year. Invention grants grew fastest, by 46.0%; utility model and design grants rose by 18.9% and 26.1%, respectively. Invention grants to domestic and foreign applicants increased by 52.5% and 31.1%, respectively.
Stable share of service inventions
Service inventions accounted for more than 80% of domestic invention patent applications and more than 90% of domestic invention patent grants.
The charts compare applications and grants in the first three quarters of 2013, 2014 and 2015, and show the figures for the leading foreign applicant countries.
