1. Patent Agency Overview

As of the end of 2023, there were 5,269 patent agencies in China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan).

Change in the Number of Patent Agencies

By the end of 2023, the total number of patent agencies reached 5,269, an increase of 16.6% year-on-year.

Regional Distribution of Patent Agencies

Patent agencies are primarily concentrated in economically developed eastern and coastal regions. The top five provinces (municipalities) in terms of the number of patent agencies are Beijing, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai, maintaining the same order as in 2022. Among them, Beijing ranks first with 1,042 patent agencies, accounting for 19.8% of the national total; Guangdong ranks second with 853 agencies, accounting for 16.2%; Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai have 621, 373, and 339 agencies, accounting for 11.8%, 7.1%, and 6.4% of the national total, respectively.

Of the 5,269 patent agencies nationwide, 468 have been established for more than 20 years, accounting for 8.9% of the total; 184 agencies have been established for 15 to 20 years, accounting for 3.5%; 299 agencies have been established for 10 to 15 years, accounting for 5.7%; 1,117 agencies have been established for 5 to 10 years, accounting for 21.2%; 1,046 agencies have been established for 3 to 5 years, accounting for 19.9%; and 2,155 agencies have been established for less than 3 years, accounting for 40.9% of the total.

Distribution of Patent Agencies by Size

Based on the number of practicing patent agents, the scale of the agencies is as follows: among the 5,269 patent agencies nationwide, 15 agencies have more than 100 patent agents, mainly distributed in Beijing, Guangdong, and Shanghai; 37 agencies have 51-100 agents, distributed in Beijing, Guangdong, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Sichuan; 174 agencies have 21-50 agents, 443 agencies have 11-20 agents. A total of 4,600 agencies have 10 or fewer agents, accounting for about 87.3% of the total number of agencies, among which 874 agencies have 6-10 agents, 1,995 agencies have 3-5 agents, and 1,731 agencies have fewer than 3 agents.

2. Trademark Agency Overview

Change in the Number of Registered Trademark Agencies

By the end of 2023, there were 35,712 registered trademark agencies nationwide.

Regional Distribution of Registered Trademark Agencies

Trademark agencies are primarily concentrated in economically developed eastern and coastal regions. The top five provinces (municipalities) in terms of the number of trademark agencies are Guangdong, Beijing, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shandong, with 7,599, 4,079, 2,688, 2,402, and 2,299 agencies, respectively, accounting for 21.3%, 11.4%, 7.5%, 6.7%, and 6.4% of the national total.

Distribution of Registered Trademark Agencies by Organizational Form

Trademark agencies registered by market entity registration authorities and law firms are the primary types. By the end of 2023, a total of 33,922 trademark agencies were registered as service institutions, accounting for 95.0% of the total, while 1,790 were law firms, accounting for about 5.0%.

3. Patent Agents Overview

With the growth of patent applications and the demand for patent agency services in China, the number of patent agents has been steadily increasing. By the end of 2023, there were 34,396 practicing patent agents in China.

Change in the Number of Patent Agents

Over the past decade, the number of individuals obtaining patent agent qualifications in China has rapidly increased. By the end of 2023, a total of 76,230 individuals had obtained patent agent qualification certificates, an increase of 20.4% year-on-year. The number of practicing patent agents reached 34,396, an increase of 9.7% year-on-year, accounting for 45.1% of the total number of qualified patent agents, with 3,448 new practicing patent agents in 2023.

Regional Distribution of Patent Agents

Similar to the distribution of patent agencies, patent agents are primarily concentrated in Beijing, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Zhejiang. Beijing ranks first with 12,117 practicing patent agents and 17,184 individuals holding patent agent qualifications. Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Shandong, Sichuan, and Anhui have between 1,000 and 5,000 practicing patent agents. Nine provinces (municipalities), including Hubei, Henan, Fujian, Shaanxi, Chongqing, Hunan, Hebei, Liaoning, and Tianjin, have more than 300 practicing patent agents.

Patent Litigation Agents

By the end of 2023, there were 4,896 patent litigation agents recommended by the All-China Patent Agents Association, of whom 2,144 could participate in patent administrative litigation, and 2,752 could participate in both patent administrative and civil litigation. Regionally, Beijing has 2,188 patent litigation agents, accounting for 44.7% of the total, of whom 1,006 can participate in patent administrative litigation, and 1,182 can participate in both patent administrative and civil litigation, ranking first in both categories. Guangdong has 593 patent litigation agents, accounting for 12.1% of the total, with 214 participating in patent administrative litigation, and 379 participating in both administrative and civil litigation, ranking second. The number of patent litigation agents in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, Sichuan, and Hubei exceeds 100 in each of these provinces (municipalities).

4. Patent Agent Qualification Exam Overview

The Patent Agent Qualification Exam has been successfully held 25 times since its inception in 1992. In 2023, a total of 47,649 people registered for the exam, and 6,150 passed. Among them, 4 candidates from Hong Kong, 4 from Taiwan, and 1 from Macao passed the exam.

Patent Agent Qualification Exam Pass Rate

In 2023, 6,150 candidates passed the Patent Agent Qualification Exam, with a pass rate of 12.9%.

To date, a total of 85 candidates from Hong Kong SAR, 4 from Macao SAR, and 532 from Taiwan have passed the exam.