China is focusing on improvements in patent quality, said Shen Changyu, commissioner of the State Intellectual Property Office on Monday.

SIPO received some 928,000 applications for invention patents in 2014, topping the world for the fourth consecutive year and representing a 12.5 percent rise from a year earlier.

About 26,000 international applications were filed with SIPO through the Patent Cooperation Treaty, ranking third in the world.

Despite that growth, China is still short of core patents, Shen said during SIPO's Open House event.

"We are putting more efforts into improving patent quality while continuing to maintain a steady increase," he said.

"Creating high-quality patents require a high-level human resource pool," he added.

The commissioner called on professionals including experts brought in through national overseas recruitment programs to develop more high-value patented technologies and contribute to China's change from a large IP filer to a strong IP powerhouse.

Small and micro businesses are another dynamic force to promote such change, he said.

For some 500,000 tech startups operational in the country, survival and growth heavily relies on the quality of their IP assets, he said, noting the path from an innovative idea to a patented product would expand the market and help increase employment.

SIPO has rolled out a series of policies to help small businesses deal with difficulties they face in financing and development, Shen said.

Those efforts include giving priority to applications for patents in urgent need, awarding the first invention patent granted to a small business and connecting patent agents with small businesses to offer free aid at least once a year.

Part of a weeklong IP promotion that officially began on April 20, Open House attracted more than 100 representatives of small businesses, as well as 20 patent experts and scholars.

Information portal

During the event, an overseas IP information portal went online to help Chinese companies interested in exploring abroad have a better understanding of the IP environments in other countries.

Huang Qing, director of SIPO's protection and coordination department, said nearly 70 percent of export-oriented companies in China are short of key information about IP systems in their trade destinations, which "has severely impeded their overseas expansion".

To address the issue, the online platform worldip.cn now provides "one-stop access" to professional resources and services, Huang said.

It covers some 270 laws and regulations in more than 10 countries and regions, provides information about overseas IP environments, brief filing procedures and related charges.

In addition, nearly 100 files about IP strategies and analysis of more than 130 typical cases are offered on the website.

Addressing frequently asked questions and concerns companies face in their overseas operations, the portal is designed with special sections to give guidance on such issues. The platform also offers links to overseas agencies and an expert panel for tailor-made resolutions.

SIPO also launched a WeChat account and announced its annual top 10 patent review cases during the event.

 

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A recent exhibition in Beijing during an IP promotion week displays counterfeit goods seized by the customs. Zhao Siheng / For China Daily