- China recognises three patent types: invention (20-year term, substantive examination), utility model (10-year term, fast no-substantive-exam), and design (15-year term since the 2020 amendment).
中国承认三类专利：发明专利（20 年、实质审查）、实用新型（10 年、快速且不经实质审查）、外观设计（2020 年修正后延至 15 年）。- Foreign applicants without a domicile or business office in China must appoint a qualified Chinese patent agency to file.
在中国无住所或营业所的外国申请人，须委托依法设立的专利代理机构提交申请。- Claim Paris Convention or PCT priority; an invention’s substantive examination must be requested within three years of filing or the application is deemed withdrawn.
可主张巴黎公约或 PCT 优先权；发明专利须于申请日起三年内提出实质审查请求，否则视为撤回。- The PCT national phase must be entered in China within 30 months of the priority date (extendable only in limited circumstances).
PCT 国家阶段须于优先权日起 30 个月内进入中国（仅少数情形可延期）。- The 2020 Patent Law raised statutory damages to RMB 30,000–5 million and introduced punitive damages of up to five times the infringer’s gain or the right-holder’s loss.
2020 年《专利法》将法定赔偿提至 3 万至 500 万元，并对故意侵权引入最高五倍于获利或损失的惩罚性赔偿。- Annual fees are mandatory from the grant year onward; failure to pay terminates the patent.
自授权年度起须缴纳年费；未缴将导致专利权终止。- Utility models and designs are not substantively examined, so preserve novelty evidence and technical drawings from the outset, as they are often challenged.
实用新型与外观设计不经实质审查，故应从一开始就保全新颖性证据与技术图纸，因其常被提起无效。
Patent protection & IP enforcement | 专利保护与知识产权执法
Overview
China’s patent system offers foreign businesses three distinct types of protection, a fully modern prosecution framework, and increasingly robust enforcement — both through the courts and through administrative authorities. For a technology or product company entering China, patents are not merely defensive paperwork; they are a precondition for licensing, for deterring copycats, and for credible enforcement against infringers. This article maps the three patent types, the prosecution timeline, the enforcement landscape, and the practical pitfalls foreign applicants should avoid.
It is informational guidance, not legal advice; patent strategy should be confirmed with a qualified Chinese patent attorney, preferably before any public disclosure of the invention.
The three patent types
Chinese law recognises three patent categories, each with different substantive requirements, examination routes, and terms:
- Invention patent (发明专利). The strongest form. Requires novelty, inventiveness (non-obviousness), and industrial applicability. Subject to substantive examination, which gives it high legal stability. Term: 20 years from the filing date.
- Utility model (实用新型). Often called a “small patent.” Protects the shape or structure of a product. No substantive examination — only a formal/preliminary review — so it grants faster (commonly around 6–12 months) but is weaker and easier to invalidate. Term: 10 years from the filing date.
- Design patent (外观设计). Protects the ornamental design of a product (including, since the 2020 amendment, partial designs). Preliminary examination only. Term: 15 years from the filing date (extended from 10 years by the 2020 amendment, aligning China with the Hague Agreement’s 15-year norm).
The 2020 fourth revision of the *Patent Law* is the current baseline. It introduced partial-design protection, a patent-term-extension mechanism for new pharmaceuticals (up to five years, with total effective term not exceeding 14 years from marketing approval), and strengthened remedies (see enforcement below).
| Type | Examination | Term | Typical grant time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invention | Substantive | 20 years | ~2–4 years |
| Utility model | Preliminary only | 10 years | ~6–12 months |
| Design | Preliminary only | 15 years | ~6–12 months |
Prosecution: filing, examination and grant
Foreign applicants file through CNIPA (the China National Intellectual Property Administration). A foreign applicant without a domicile or business office in China must appoint a duly qualified Chinese patent agency. Key procedural points:
- Priority. A foreign filing can claim priority from an earlier application in a Paris Convention member or under the PCT, within 12 months for inventions/utility models and 6 months for designs.
- Publication and request for examination. Invention applications are published at 18 months; a substantive examination must be requested (within 3 years of filing) or the application is deemed withdrawn.
- PCT route. Foreign applicants commonly enter the Chinese national phase via the Patent Cooperation Treaty, designating China. The national phase must be entered within 30 months of the priority date (extendable in limited circumstances).
- Annual fees. A patentee must pay annual fees from the grant year onward; failure to pay leads to termination.
A successful grant yields a patent certificate and publication. Because utility models and designs are not substantively examined, a granted right is not automatically valid — defendants frequently challenge them, so evidence of novelty should be preserved from the outset.
Enforcement: courts and administrative action
China enforces patents through two parallel tracks:
1. Civil litigation. Specialised intellectual property courts and tribunals (e.g., in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and IP tribunals in many intermediate courts) hear infringement suits. Available remedies include injunctions, destruction of infringing products, and damages. The 2020 amendment raised the statutory damages range to RMB 30,000 to RMB 5 million, and introduced punitive damages of up to five times the infringer’s profits or the right-holder’s loss for serious intentional infringement. Courts may also order evidence preservation and conduct technical assessments via appointed experts.
2. Administrative enforcement. CNIPA and local market-regulation (IP) authorities can, on complaint, investigate and order infringers to stop, confiscate and destroy infringing goods, and impose fines. Administrative action is often faster and cheaper than litigation and is useful for clearing the market quickly, though it generally does not award damages (a separate civil claim is needed for compensation).
3. Criminal. Serious, commercially-scaled infringement (e.g., counterfeiting with substantial turnover) can constitute a crime, pursued by the police and prosecutors.
A pragmatic strategy pairs a strong invention patent (for its stability) with utility-model or design filings (for speed), uses administrative complaints for rapid market clean-up, and reserves litigation for damages and precedent.
Pitfalls and practical tips
- Public disclosure before filing. Any non-confidential disclosure before the priority/filing date can destroy novelty. File first; demo later.
- “Use it or lose it” pressure is low, but maintenance matters. China has no general working requirement that invalidates a patent for non-use (compulsory licensing is narrow and exceptional), but annual fees must be paid.
- Utility models are fast but fragile. Do not rely on a utility model alone for a core technology; pair it with an invention application.
- Employee and joint-development inventions. Ownership of inventions made by employees or in collaborative projects should be fixed by written contract to avoid disputes over who owns the Chinese patent.
- Link patents to your market entry. File in China early enough that protection exists before you import, manufacture under contract, or exhibit at trade shows.
What to do next
- Decide the right mix: an invention patent for core technology, plus utility-model/design filings for speed where appropriate.
- File before any public disclosure; claim Paris/PCT priority where you have an earlier foreign filing.
- Appoint a qualified Chinese patent agency for prosecution and for monitoring competitors’ publications.
- Preserve novelty evidence and technical drawings from day one, especially for utility models and designs that are not substantively examined.
- Prepare an enforcement plan: administrative complaints for fast market action, civil suits for damages, and criminal referral for large-scale counterfeiting.
- Pay annual fees on time and calendar renewal and annuity deadlines to avoid lapse.
Sources
- CNIPA (English): Patent Law of the People’s Republic of China (translation): https://english.cnipa.gov.cn/col/col3068/index.html
- CNIPA (English): “Revised Law to Come into Effect in 2021” (design term extended to 15 years, punitive damages): https://english.cnipa.gov.cn/art/2020/11/3/art_1347_154539.html
- World Intellectual Property Organization — Patents (PCT) (official portal): https://www.wipo.int/patents/en/
Related reading
- see also: Trademark registration for foreign brands / 外国品牌的商标注册
- see also: Copyright & trade secrets for foreign firms / 著作权与商业秘密
专利保护与知识产权执法
概述
中国的专利制度为外国企业提供三种不同的保护类型、一整套现代化的申请框架，以及日益有力的执法——既包括司法途径，也包括行政途径。对进入中国的科技或产品型企业而言，专利不只是防御性文书，更是许可、震慑仿冒者以及对侵权者进行有效维权的先决条件。本文梳理三类专利、申请时间线、执法格局，以及外国申请人应避免的实务陷阱。
本文为信息性指引，非法律意见；专利策略应在发明任何公开披露前，与合格的中国专利律师确认。
三类专利
中国法律承认三种专利类别，各自的实质要件、审查路径与期限不同：
- 发明专利。 保护力度最强。要求新颖性、创造性与实用性，须经实质审查，法律稳定性高。期限：自申请日起 20 年。
- 实用新型。 常称”小专利”。保护产品的形状或构造。不经实质审查，仅形式/初步审查，故授权快（通常约 6–12 个月），但稳定性较弱、易被判无效。期限：自申请日起 10 年。
- 外观设计。 保护产品的装饰性设计（2020 年修正后纳入局部外观设计）。仅初步审查。期限：自申请日起 15 年（2020 年修正由 10 年延长至 15 年，与《海牙协定》的 15 年标准接轨）。
2020 年《专利法》第四次修正为现行基线。其引入局部外观设计保护、新药专利期限补偿机制（最长 5 年，且自获批上市起总有效期限不超过 14 年），并强化了救济（见下文执法部分）。
| 类型 | 审查 | 期限 | 通常授权时间 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 发明 | 实质审查 | 20 年 | 约 2–4 年 |
| 实用新型 | 仅初步 | 10 年 | 约 6–12 个月 |
| 外观设计 | 仅初步 | 15 年 | 约 6–12 个月 |
申请、审查与授权
外国申请人向国家知识产权局（CNIPA）提交。在中国无住所或营业所的外国申请人须委托依法设立的专利代理机构。关键程序要点：
- 优先权。 外国申请可依据巴黎公约成员或 PCT，主张较早申请的优先权：发明与实用新型为 12 个月，外观设计为 6 个月。
- 公布与实质审查请求。 发明专利申请于 18 个月公布；须在 3 年内提出实质审查请求，否则视为撤回。
- PCT 途径。 外国申请人常经专利合作条约进入中国国家阶段并指定中国。国家阶段须于优先权日起 30 个月内进入（少数情形可延期）。
- 年费。 专利权人自授权年度起缴纳年费；未缴致权利终止。
授权后核发专利证书并公告。由于实用新型与外观设计不经实质审查，已授权并不等于当然有效——被诉侵权方常提起无效，故应从一开始就保全新颖性证据。
执法：司法与行政
中国通过两条并行轨道保护专利：
1. 民事诉讼。 专门的知识产权法院与法庭（如北京、上海、广州知识产权法院，以及多地中级法院知识产权法庭）审理侵权之诉。可得救济包括禁令、销毁侵权产品与损害赔偿。2020 年修正将法定赔偿上限提升至3 万元至 500 万元，并对情节严重的故意侵权引入最高五倍于侵权人获利或权利人损失的惩罚性赔偿。法院亦可裁定证据保全，并委任技术调查官/专家进行技术比对。
2. 行政执法。 CNIPA 及地方市场监管（知识产权）部门可应投诉调查，责令侵权人停止、没收销毁侵权货物并处罚款。行政途径通常比诉讼更快、更省，利于迅速清理市场，但一般不予判赔（索赔需另行提起民事诉讼）。
3. 刑事。 达到商业规模、情节严重的侵权（如营业额巨大的假冒）可构成犯罪，由公安机关与检察机关追诉。
务实策略是：以稳定的发明专利为主，辅以实用新型/外观设计（求快）；以行政投诉快速清场，以诉讼求损害赔偿与先例。
常见陷阱与实务建议
- 申请前公开。 优先权/申请日之前的任何非保密披露都可能破坏新颖性。先申请，后演示。
- “使用义务”压力小，但维持很重要。 中国无因不使用而普遍无效专利的”实施要求”（强制许可范围狭窄且属例外），但年费必须缴纳。
- 实用新型快但脆弱。 核心技术方案勿单靠实用新型，应与发明专利申请并用。
- 职务与共有发明。 员工或在合作项目中作出的发明，其归属应以书面合同固定，避免”谁拥有中国专利”的争议。
- 专利与市场准入挂钩。 在中国进口、委托制造或参展前，应使保护尽早到位。
下一步建议
- 确定组合：核心技术用发明专利，视情况以实用新型/外观设计求快。
- 任何公开披露前先申请；有在先外国申请的，主张巴黎/PCT 优先权。
- 委托合格的中国专利代理机构负责申请与监控竞争对手的公开。
- 自第一天起保全新颖性证据与技术图纸，尤其是不经实质审查的实用新型与外观设计。
- 准备维权方案：行政投诉快速清场，民事诉讼求赔偿，大规模假冒则刑事移送。
- 按时缴年费，并在日历标注续展与年费节点，避免权利 lapse。
来源
- 国家知识产权局（英文）：中华人民共和国专利法（译本）：https://english.cnipa.gov.cn/col/col3068/index.html
- 国家知识产权局（英文）：”Revised Law to Come into Effect in 2021″（外观设计延至 15 年、惩罚性赔偿）：https://english.cnipa.gov.cn/art/2020/11/3/art_1347_154539.html
- 世界知识产权组织——专利（PCT）（官网）：https://www.wipo.int/patents/en/
相关阅读
- see also: 外国品牌的商标注册 / Trademark registration for foreign brands
- see also: 著作权与商业秘密 / Copyright & trade secrets for foreign firms