Nantong's effective invention patents reach 54,000
A bird's-eye view of Nantong. [Photo provided by Xu Congjun to en.nantong.gov.cn]
Nantong in East China's Jiangsu province saw a breakthrough in intellectual property application in 2024, with the number of newly granted invention patents surpassing 10,000 for the first time and the total number of effective invention patents reaching 54,000.
Among them, the invention patents by local enterprises accounted for 89 percent, and the number of high-value invention patents per 10,000 people reached 25, exceeding the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) target by 156.8 percent in four years.
At the beginning of last year, Nantong was recognized as a national demonstration city for IP protection and a national model city for IP strength, becoming the third city in the province to achieve the dual national demonstration status in the IP field.
Nantong took the lead among prefecture-level cities nationwide in implementing local legislation on IP. The Nantong Intellectual Property Promotion and Protection Regulations were enacted on April 26.
Implementing the "drip irrigation initiative" for patent cultivation in the city, focusing on high-tech enterprises, has facilitated innovative resources for high-quality enterprises. This effort has led to the emergence of 118 nationally recognized enterprises with IP strength, such as ZTT and Tongfu Microelectronics.
Nantong is set to continue constructing an efficient service system based on government and market collaboration. The average examination period for invention patents at the Nantong Intellectual Property Protection Center has been reduced to 80 days, down 85 percent from before.
The upcoming Nantong Intellectual Property Service Industry Zone is expected to bring together judicial and administrative resources such as circuit trials, copyright identification, and collaborative protection, integrate trademark and patent agencies, IP operators, and other high-end service institutions to create a top-tier one-stop IP service platform in the Yangtze River Delta region.
