China has set a new world record for the number of patent applications recorded in a single year, lodging more than 1 million in 2015 according to figures from the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Taking both filings made by Chinese residents and those by foreign inventers looking to protect their inventions in China into account, the mainland accounted for more than a third of the world’s applications with 1,010,406 of a total 2.9 million globally.
“As policy-makers seek to invigorate growth around the world, it is encouraging to report that intellectual property filing activity saw healthy progression in 2015,” said WIPO director general Francis Gurry. “While China continues to drive global increases, IP use grew in most countries in 2015, reflecting its increasing importance in a globalized knowledge economy.”
China’s numbers are believed to have been boosted by a Chinese government program that provides subsidies to local patents.
