Intellectual Property: China formulating first middle and long-term plan for patent agency industry

The Chinese State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) released China’s first Plan for the Development of Patent Agency Industry (2009-2015) in Beijing recently. The plan proposed further improving the patent agency industry legal system and establishing a management system which would combine administrative supervision and self-regulation in the industry over the next seven years.

The plan clearly stated that by 2015, the ability and standards of patent agency services should be substantially improved, and the number of outstanding patent agencies should exceed 100. There should be about 10,000 practicing patent agents of which international patent agent personnel will number over 1,000.

The plan also pointed out that the relevant legal systems of China’s current patent agency industry must be improved. Construction of a patent agent team is still lagging behind due to a lack of talented personnel, and the scale of patent agency industry also needs to be further expanded.

Up to May 31 this year, China has approved the establishment of 716 patent agencies, containing nearly 6,000 practicing patent agents and a total of about 17,000 personnel working in the entire industry.

71.7 percent of the 5.03 million patent applications to SIPO were handled by patent agents.