Greater Bay Area accounts for one-sixth of China's patents: IP regulator

GUANGZHOU, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has produced about one-sixth of China's invention patents and trademarks, according to data the country's top intellectual property (IP) regulator released on Friday.

As of June, the Greater Bay Area had 817,000 valid invention patents and more than 8.52 million valid registered trademarks that have been authorized by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), with each figure accounting for approximately one-sixth of the national total.

In the first half of this year, the CNIPA received 13,500 Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) international patent applications from innovation entities in the Greater Bay Area, an increase of over 30 percent year on year, CNIPA spokesperson Heng Fuguang said at a press conference in Guangzhou.

The region's innovation strength and vitality have also gained global recognition. For the first time, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou innovation cluster surged to the top spot on this year's Global Innovation Index innovation cluster ranking released by the World Intellectual Property Organization, and the Macao-Zhuhai cluster has secured a top-100 position for two consecutive years.

Heng said the CNIPA has implemented a series of measures to support the region's high-quality development, including those related to talent cultivation, strengthened policy guidance, the enhancement of public services systems, and the establishment of IP protection centers for industries such as high-end equipment manufacturing, new energy and new-generation information technology.