A New Opportunity for Foreign Enterprises in the Chinese Patent Market
On 20 January 2025, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) officially launched the “Belt and Road” Patent Examination Pilot Project. This two-year initiative, concluding on 19 January 2027, is a pivotal action by CNIPA to implement the achievements of the 10th anniversary of the “Belt and Road” initiative. It offers significant opportunities for foreign enterprises from participating “Belt and Road” countries that conduct business in China and seek for patent protection in the country.
Key aspects of the project:
- Participating countries: Applicants from eligible “Belt and Road” countries can request accelerated examination from CNIPA.
- Unilateral accelerated examination: During the project period, eligible applicants can request accelerated examination from CNIPA. When the participating office (e.g., Turkish Patent and Trademark Office) as the first filing office determines that at least one claim in a patent application is patentable, the applicant can request accelerated examination for the corresponding Chinese patent application from CNIPA. No additional fees are required.
- Annual case volume: CNIPA has established clear rules on the number of requests it will accept. The total number of accelerated examination requests accepted each year will be limited to 1,000, with each participating office limited to 100 requests per year.
The Turkish Patent and Trademark Office is the first institution to participate in this project. In the future, CNIPA will continue to collaborate with more patent examination institutions from participating countries to expand and optimize the project.
For foreign enterprises interested in the Chinese market and in need of Chinese patents, this project offers clear advantages. By shortening the examination period for patent applications in China, enterprises can obtain patent protection for their innovations more quickly, helping them to rapidly establish a presence in the Chinese market and gain a competitive edge. Additionally, through cooperation between “Belt and Road” countries, enterprises can more effectively protect their intellectual property in international markets, reducing the risk of infringement. Furthermore, this project demonstrates China’s proactive stance on intellectual property protection and its commitment to promoting intellectual property cooperation among “Belt and Road” countries. It helps to enhance enterprises’ confidence in the Chinese market and their willingness to invest.
We will closely monitor CNIPA’s patent-related policies to help enterprises plan their patent application strategies in advance and assist in global patent layout.
For further information, please contact:
Li Mi, Rouse
mli@lushenglawyers.com