China's annual applications for design patents reached 709,000, and negotiations are underway to join the Hague Agreement.
Shen Changyu, head of the State Intellectual Property Office, stated at the opening ceremony of the 15th China (Wuxi) International Design Expo that in 2018, China's annual applications for design patents reached 709,000. He indicated that future efforts will focus on promoting creation and application, strengthening protection, and fostering international cooperation to drive high-quality development in the field of design patents.
He also revealed that China is currently in negotiations with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) regarding accession to the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs. This will help Chinese companies more easily obtain design patent protection in other countries, enabling Chinese creativity, design, and manufacturing to better go global.
Shen Changyu introduced that since the beginning of reform and opening up, with the establishment of the intellectual property rights system, China officially began protecting design patents. "In just over 30 years, the annual number of design patent applications in China has increased from over 600 in 1985 to 709,000 in 2018, fully demonstrating China's innovative vitality in the field of design patents and strongly supporting economic and social development, especially the development of manufacturing."
Shen Changyu also stated that, along with the increase in applications, the design patent protection system has been continuously improved. For example, by amending relevant articles of the Patent Law, the protection period for design patents has been extended; the domestic priority system has been added, the patent right evaluation report system has been improved, and the effectiveness of design patent protection has been enhanced; the graphical user interface has been included in the subject matter of design patent protection, etc., effectively promoting the innovative development of the entire design patent industry.
Regarding new measures in the field of design patents, Shen Changyu stated, First, vigorously promote the creation and application of design patents . Guide local governments to improve relevant policies and measures, strengthen quality orientation, better stimulate the enthusiasm and initiative of a wide range of designers, and create more excellent designs with the characteristics of the times, aesthetic value, and usability.
In recent years, the State Intellectual Property Office, in conjunction with the World Intellectual Property Organization, has launched the China Design Patent Gold Award selection activity. To date, a total of 50 design patent gold awards have been selected. In addition, the State Intellectual Property Office has successively approved the establishment of the Wuxi Industrial Design Park and Zhengzhou Creative Industry Park as national intellectual property pilot demonstration parks to lead the development of the creative design industry.
" Second, continuously increase the protection of design patents , truly stimulating creative vitality." Shen Changyu introduced that in recent years, regarding design patents, the State Intellectual Property Office has, on the one hand, actively promoted amendments to the Patent Law, pushing to extend the protection period of design patents from the current 10 years to 15 years, increasing the strength of protection. On the other hand, it is also innovating in the way of intellectual property protection, actively promoting the construction of rapid rights protection centers, so that rapid authorization, rapid confirmation of rights, and rapid rights protection can be coordinated and linked, providing the public with quick, efficient, and low-cost channels for rights protection.
Third, actively promote international cooperation on design patents 。 The State Intellectual Property Office has not only cooperated with relevant parties to establish a cooperation mechanism among the five design patent offices of China, the United States, Europe, Japan, and South Korea, but China is also currently in negotiations with the World Intellectual Property Organization regarding accession to the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs. This will help Chinese companies more easily obtain design patent protection in other countries, enabling Chinese creativity, design, and manufacturing to better go global.
