China accepts more invention patent applications

BEIJING - China accepted about 928,000 invention patent applications in 2014, some 103,000 more than in 2013, the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) said on Thursday.

SIPO director Shen Changyu said invention patent applications accounted for 39.3 percent of all patent applications last year, compared with a 34.7 percent in 2013.

China grants patents for three major categories: invention, utility model and design.

Invention patent application growth slowed from 26.3 percent in 2013 to 12.5 percent in 2014, according to Shen.

Growth in invention patent applications is moderating, but its share in total patent applications is rising, said Shen.

The director said the SIPO will step up law enforcement in 2015 and put more efforts in intellectual property protection.