China State Intellectual Property Office recently announced that as of the end of 2007

China has handled more than 4 million patent applications and over 5.6 million trademark

applications from both home and abroad, with registered trademarks exceeding 3 million in

number. It took one year and six month for China's patent applications to go from third

million to fourth million. In 2007, State Intellectual Property Office handled 694,000 patent

applications, with a growth of 21.2%, of which invention, utility, and design have reached

245,000, 181,000, and 268,000 respectively in number, with a growth of 16.5%, 12.4%,

and 33.0%. Meanwhile, Chinese nationals have filed 5,401 international patent

applications, with a 41.2% growth compared with the same period, ranking in 7th place

after the United States, Japan, Germany, France, the Republic of Korea, and the UK, or one

place advanced compared with the end of 2006.

In 2007, China has for the first time recorded an annual trademark application exceeding

400,000 in number. China State Administration for Industry and Commerce has handled

708, 000 trademark applications, of which 605,000 were domestic applications, and

103,000 foreign applications. The Administration has granted 263,000 trademarks in the

year. At the same time, authorities concerned have acknowledged 197 trademarks as

famous trademark.