Data and Statistics for IP in 2004

I. Patent

In 2004, totally 353,807 patent applications were filed which represents a yearly increase of 15%. Among the patent applications filed, 130,133 were applications for invention, 112,825 were applications for utility model and 110,849 were applications for design.

In total, 74,864 patent applications were filed by foreign companies and individuals, which amounts 21.2% of the total applications received by the China Patent Office. Compared with 57,249 applications filed for 2003, patent applications filed by foreign companies and individuals in China in 2004 increased 30.8%.

In terms of filing numbers from foreign countries, Japan continues to hold the first position followed by USA. Compared with 24,241 applications filed in 2003, 30,444 applications filed by Japanese companies in 2004 amounts almost the half of the total patent applications filed by foreign countries. The ten countries that filed the most patent applications in China in 2004 are the same with those in 2003 in the same order except change of positions of the Netherlands and France.

In terms of filing numbers from foreign companies, Japanese company Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd keeps the first position with 2,813 patent applications. The Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV, which was not among the top ten foreign companies in 2003, takes the third place with 1,930 patent applications in 2004. Japanese company Mitsubishi, which took ninth position in 2003, is out of the top-ten list in 2004

In 2004, totally 190,238 applications were granted, which represents a yearly increase of 4.3%.

Ten Countries Filed the Most Patent Applications in China in 2004 & 2003

Rank	Country	Number of Applications in 2004	Number of Applications in 2003	Change (%)
1	Japan	30,444	24,241	25.6
2	USA	16,187	12,221	32.5
3	Korea	6,660	5,015	32.8
4	Germany	5,917	4,522	30.8
5	The Netherlands	2,960	1,376	115.1
6	France	2,465	1,941	27.0
7	Switzerland	1,744	1,376	26.7
8	UK	1,401	1,374	2.0
9	Italy	1,167	1,314	11.2
10	Sweden	899	765	17.5

Ten Foreign Companies Filed the Most Patent Applications in China in 2004 & 2003

Rank	Country	Company	Number of Applications in 2004	Number of Applications in 2003
1	Japan	Matsushita Electric Industrial	2,813	2,144
2	Korea	Samsung Electronics	2,371	1,568
3	The Netherlands	Koninklijke Philips Electronics	1,930	NA
4	Japan	Sony	1,289	742
5	Korea	LG Electronics	1,164	805
6	Japan	Seiko Epson	1,075	943
7	Japan	Toshiba	915	672
8	Japan	Sanyo Electric	898	692
9	Japan	Canon	843	882
10	USA	IBM	829	581

II. Trademark

In 2004, the China Trademark Office received totally 588,000 trademark applications, which represents an increase of 30% compared with the applications received in 2003.

Among the trademark applications, 60,335 were filed by foreigners, which represents a yearly increase of 29.82%.

In 2004, totally 267,000 trademark applications were registered, increasing by a rate of 9.94%.

III. Enforcement of IP Rights

In 2004, Chinese courts decided 8,832 IP-related first instance civil cases, a rise of more than 46% from 2003. Copyright cases saw the most dramatic rise. The Chinese courts received 4,264 copyright-related cases, a greater than 70% increase from the previous year. In total, 385 IP-related criminal cases were decided with 653 offenders punished.

In 2004, the administrative authorities for industry and commerce (AICs) handled 51,851 trademark violation cases, which represents an increase of 38.3% compared with the number for the year 2003. Among the cases handled, 40,171 were trademark infringement cases. In total, 5,401 raid actions were taken to protect trademarks owned by foreign companies, which represents an increase of 158% compared with the number for the year 2003. Totally, 96 cases were transferred to the competent judicial authorities for criminal investigations with 82 suspects.