Recently, China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) released the 2024 National Intellectual Property Services Industry Statistical Report, highlighting the steady growth of China’s intellectual property (IP) services industry in 2023. Below are the key points of the report.

1. Steady Growth in the Number of IP Service Providers

By the end of 2023, China had approximately 89,000 IP service institutions, a 2.9% increase compared to the previous year. Among these, there were 5,269 patent agencies and 35,712 trademark agencies. Additionally, there were 22,000 institutions providing legal services, 9,000 offering IP operations services, 16,000 providing IP information services, and 58,000 institutions offering IP consulting services, showing a trend of diversification within the industry.

2. Steady Growth in Industry Revenue

In 2023, the total revenue of China’s IP services industry reached approximately 285 billion yuan, reflecting a 5.6% year-on-year increase. Institutions that adhere to corporate financial systems had an average revenue of 3.195 million yuan. Patent agencies reported total revenues of 46.26 billion yuan, with an average revenue of 9.349 million yuan per agency. The per capita revenue generated by IP service industry employees stood at 289,000 yuan.

3. Employment and Talent Structure

By the end of 2023, there were around 984,000 employees in China’s IP services industry, a 1.5% increase from the previous year. Among them, the number of licensed patent attorneys reached 34,396, an increase of 9.7%. New hires in 2023 were mainly aged between 25 and 30. The education level of the IP service workforce remained high, with 71.5% holding a bachelor’s degree or higher.

4. Optimization in Service Supply and Coverage

In 2023, the structure of China’s IP service supply further improved. IP service institutions covered all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, with 89.6% coverage at the prefecture level, an increase of 1.5 percentage points compared to the previous year. The range of services offered expanded, with 64.9% of institutions providing two or more types of IP services, an increase of 15.3 percentage points year-over-year. Additionally, 13.4% of institutions offered three or more types of services, reflecting the industry's trend toward diversified service models.

5. Significant Progress in Digitization and International Services

In 2023, the digitization and intelligence level of China's IP services industry saw continuous improvement. 29.3% of institutions advanced their digital transformation, and 82.4% utilized commercial databases or software to improve service quality. Additionally, the proportion of institutions providing international IP services continued to rise, with 40.3% assisting Chinese companies in expanding abroad, and 32.2% supporting foreign enterprises entering the Chinese market.

6. Substantial Increase in Patent Application Agency Rate

In 2023, the patent agencies in China handled 90.6% of all domestic patent applications, marking a 9.1 percentage point increase from the previous year. Among these, the agency rate for invention patents reached 94.4%, while the trademark registration agency rate stood at 87.7%. The agency rate for geographic indication trademark registrations was 95.8%, and the agency rate for integrated circuit layout design applications was 60.9%. The role of the IP services industry in transforming scientific and technological achievements into practical productivity became increasingly prominent.

7. Significant Achievements in Patent Commercialization Services

By the end of 2023, the proportion of institutions providing patent commercialization services rose to 35.8%, up by 5.6 percentage points from the previous year. The demand for patent commercialization services among innovation-driven entities continued to grow, particularly in patent operation, information, legal, and consulting services. Service institutions facilitated enterprise innovation and market expansion through patent valuation, matching supply and demand for patent commercialization, market layout, and brand promotion.