China becomes the world’s biggest applicant of agricultural patents
November 24, 2020 Category China News Round-up, Weekly
China has become the world’s biggest applicant of agricultural patents, though more measures are needed to protect its agricultural intellectual property rights overseas, according to a report by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Institutes and enterprises applied for more than 612,000 patents related to agriculture between 2015 and 2019, the most in the world, and the number of patent applications kept increasing by nearly 7.6% on average annually over the five years. Researchers analyzed agricultural patent competitiveness among 22 major countries advanced in agriculture by looking at factors such as the number of patent applicants, authorized patents and patent applications overseas. They found that the number of agricultural patent applications by China accounted for 62% of the total for all 22 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan and Canada. Of all China’s patent applications over the five years, about 11% became authorized patents, ranking eighth among those countries, advancing 13 places compared with the previous five years. In general, China ranked third in the competitiveness of its agricultural patents, following the U.S. and Denmark, the report said.
Among all eight major technological fields in agriculture, China ranked tops in patent competitiveness in pest prevention and control for crops, animal nutrition and feed and plant nutrition and fertilizers. Despite rising numbers of patent applications and authorized patents, international patent applications and authorizations by China lagged behind most countries with developed agricultural technology. In the five years, 97% of all the patent applications were filed within China, with only 3% filed overseas. Sun Tan, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said more than half of all agricultural patents applied for in the U.S. and Japan have also been applied for in China. “This has put agricultural patent applicants in China in a vulnerable position in terms of protecting their technological innovations overseas,” he said. Mei Xurong, Vice President of the Academy, said lack of international patents has greatly weakened the global competitiveness of China’s agricultural technology. Efforts should be focused on areas in which China takes the lead, such as genetic research on crops and application of information technology in agriculture, the China Daily reports.
- KURT VANDEPUTTE (UMICORE) APPOINTED CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF THE FLANDERS-CHINA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (FCCC)
- Webinar: “Knowing Your Chinese Partner” – May 26, 2021, 10 am – 12 am
- EMA starts rolling review of CoronaVac, WHO approves Sinopharm vaccine for emergency use
- The Global Times warns not to politicize the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI)
- Hainan to become biggest duty-free market in the world