More individuals, companies seek patent protection

The number of Shanghai patent applications during the first half of this year increased 14 percent, while the number granted to individuals or companies soared by 41 percent, the Shanghai Intellectual Property Administration said.

Patent applications filed with the administration totaled 70,623 between January and June, of which 29,979 were patents for inventions, up 15.4 percent. More than 10,880 such patents were authorized by the administration, an increase of 6.7 percent.

By the end of June, the city had 107,661 valid patents owned by individuals, ranking second among the regions of the nation on a per capita basis.

Rui Wenbiao, deputy director of Shanghai Intellectual Property Administration, told Shanghai Daily that these increases could be attributed to several factors. One is local enterprises’ demand for the protection of their intellectual property rights, and another is the improved environment for intellectual property protection.

“A large number of patent applications are submitted by foreign companies, which were the main source of patent applicants in the past,” said Rui. “But now, with the rise of domestic enterprises on the world stage, national companies have started to have a place in patent application and they’re applying for more patents.”

To better protect patents, the administration will launch a citywide campaign called “Thunderbolt” to crack down on the infringement of patents in commercial areas and distribution centers.

In preparation for the upcoming China International Import Expo this November, the administration has been conducting research on exhibition patent disputes since the end of last year. 

They will participate in the expo via various methods like the running of a hotline, website and on-the-spot services with other related departments, as well as offering counseling and handling services for exhibitors in intellectual property disputes.

The newly-built China (Pudong) Intellectual Property Protection Center, which has been running for more than five months, provides quick review, verification and rights protection services

The center helps simplify the authorization process, and shortens the authorization period for invention patents from three years to three months, practical patents from eight months to one month, and design patents from six months to one week. It will expand to cover more industry fields and areas in the future.

According to the center, earlier this year, it helped a local medical company attain a patent for its cancer-sequencing technology within three months.

OrigiMed is a local medical science and technology transforming firm which focuses on developing new technologies and clinical applications for cancer patients. 

Now the company is seeking approval from the China Food and Drug Administration on innovative medical device examination for its product, which requires an invention patent for the product’s key technology.

The company then filed an application with the center in March which went to the center’s quick review channel on March 29 after pre-qualification. On June 6, OrigiMed received a notification and was informed that the patent had been granted.