china

China Strengthens IP Protection with New Fast-Track Service Center in Shenzhen’s Futian District

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In a significant move to bolster the nation’s innovation ecosystem, China has approved the establishment of a new national-level fast-track intellectual property rights (IPR) protection service center in Shenzhen’s Futian district. The announcement was made by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), marking another milestone in the country’s expanding IP protection infrastructure.

Futian, located in the core of Shenzhen’s central business area, is widely recognized for its vibrant fashion industry. The new IPR center is expected to provide significant support to these businesses by offering streamlined services for securing design patents.

According to CNIPA, the new facility will be focused on expediting the design patent application process. Typically, it takes around six months for a design patent to be approved in China. However, with the assistance of the new service center, this duration can be reduced to within three months, enabling companies to protect their innovations more quickly and effectively.

“Fast-track services like those offered by the Futian center are essential for industries where product design changes rapidly and time-to-market is critical,” said a CNIPA spokesperson. “By accelerating the IP protection process, we aim to enhance innovation capabilities and create a more favorable environment for creative industries.”

Design patents represent a substantial portion of China’s intellectual property filings. In 2023 alone, China granted 638,000 design patents, and in 2024, the country maintained its position as the global leader in international design patent filings. The introduction of fast-track services in innovation-driven zones like Futian is seen as a strategic step toward sustaining this momentum.

The center will also contribute to the local economy by attracting more fashion designers and creative talent to the district. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in particular, are expected to benefit, as they often face resource constraints when navigating traditional IP processes. By offering efficient services, the new center aims to reduce barriers for these businesses and empower them to compete on a larger scale.

This initiative is part of a broader national effort to create a comprehensive IP protection

China Sees Sharp Decline in Invention Patent Grants in Q1 2025, Reflecting Shift Toward Patent Quality Over Quantity

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China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) released new statistics on April 15, 2025, revealing a significant decline in invention patent grants during the first quarter of the year. According to the official data, the number of invention patents granted between January and March 2025 dropped by 20.99% year-on-year, amounting to a reduction of 52,870 patents, with a total of 199,012 invention patents granted during the period.

The downward trend was not isolated to invention patents alone. Utility model grants, another category of intellectual property protection frequently used in China, also saw a marginal decline of 2.33%, decreasing by 11,032 grants compared to the first quarter of 2024, bringing the total to 408,419 utility model grants.

However, in contrast to the broader decline, design patent grants recorded a notable increase. The CNIPA reported a 10.11% year-on-year growth, with 161,058 design patents granted in Q1 2025—an increase of 14,788 grants compared to the same period last year.

Trademark Registrations Also Down
The downturn extended into trademark registrations. From January to March 2025, the number of new trademarks registered in China fell by 193,996, reflecting a 14.97% decline compared to the first quarter of 2024. This slump may reflect broader economic uncertainties or shifts in business activity.

Factors Behind the Decline
While CNIPA has not issued an official explanation for the steep decline in invention patent grants, several contributing factors appear to be at play—chief among them, China’s evolving strategy around intellectual property quality and enforcement.

End of Patent Subsidies: Government subsidies for patent grants, once a major driver behind China’s patent filing boom, have officially ended in 2025. This move was aimed at reducing low-quality and opportunistic filings.

Crackdown on “Abnormal” Applications: Chinese authorities have continued to intensify scrutiny on fraudulent or low-value patent applications. This regulatory push has likely discouraged mass filing practices that previously inflated patent figures.

Shift Toward High-Value Patents: China has reoriented its IP strategy from emphasizing sheer volume to focusing on the number of high-value patents per 10,000 people, moving away from raw patent filing counts as the primary performance metric.

In addition, the broader slowdown in China’s economy may be influencing innovation output and intellectual property activity. However, due to the nature of patent processing timelines, such effects may manifest with a delay, making patent grants a lagging indicator of underlying economic trends.

Long-Term Outlook Remains Ambitious
Despite the recent decline, CNIPA’s 2025 budget signals continued confidence in long-term innovation momentum. The agency expects to receive over 5 million patent applications this year and plans to examine more than 2 million invention patent applications. These targets reflect China’s sustained investment in intellectual property infrastructure and commitment to fostering innovation at scale.

The full dataset, published in Chinese under the title “2025年3月国家知识产权局审查注册登记统计月报（外部版)”, offers a detailed monthly breakdown of IP activity and can be accessed through CNIPA’s official platform.

As China continues to prioritize patent quality and reform its intellectual property system, the first quarter data may represent more than just a temporary dip—it could signal a lasting transformation in how innovation is measured and rewarded in the world’s second-largest economy.