Zhejiang has seen steady growth in the number of invention patents over the past year, with the quality of intellectual property rights continuously improving, according to a recently held conference in the province.

In 2021, the total number of valid invention patents in Zhejiang province reached 250,000, of which high-value invention patents accounted for more than 80,000, up 23.6 percent year-on-year, higher than that of the national average, according to data released during the conference. 

China's National Intellectual Property Administration defines high-value patents as valid invention patents that have an overseas family member patent and are valid for more than 10 years.

Zhejiang's efforts in strengthening intellectual property protection have been greatly helped by its digitalization reform.

In 2021, the province set up an online digital platform to facilitate the handling of intellectual property. At present, 27 public service matters on intellectual property can be processed directly online, and the prioritized examination period for patent inventions has been shortened from three days to one. The average grant cycle for high-value invention patents has also been reduced to 72 days.

Statistics show that 48,000 legal cases related to intellectual property were handled last year, resulting in the recovery of 1.2 billion yuan ($188.74 million) in direct economic losses. The public satisfaction score of intellectual property protection efforts in Zhejiang had also risen from 76.9 in 2020 to 84.9 last year on a full score of 100.