On April 16, the Chongqing Municipal Government Information Office held a press conference on the city's intellectual property development in 2025, detailing progress in building a robust IP ecosystem and addressing media inquiries.
The city's per 10,000 population now holds 10.37 high-value invention patents. He Dawei, Director of the Chongqing Intellectual Property Office, reported that 2025 marked a new phase in Chongqing's IP development following a municipal conference on modernizing the city's IP framework.
IP creation quality continued to improve, effectively fueling innovation-driven growth. Throughout the year, 47,200 patents were granted, including 14,200 invention patents, 26,200 utility model patents, and 6,800 design patents. International patent applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) reached 605, a 30.1% year-on-year increase, reflecting local companies' growing awareness of global market expansion. High-value invention patents now account for 40.2% of the city's total invention patents, indicating sustained optimization of scientific and technological output. Notably, over 70% of high-value invention patents belong to strategic emerging industries, with substantial patent reserves established in key sectors like new-generation information technology, high-end equipment, and biomedicine, laying a solid foundation for industrial development. Patent-intensive industries contributed 12.63% to GDP, with their role in economic growth continuing to rise. Overall, key IP indicators showed steady growth last year.
The IP protection system was further strengthened, helping to create a first-class business environment. IP authorities conducted special administrative protection campaigns, handling 467 patent infringement disputes. Public security agencies investigated 241 criminal cases involving IP infringement and counterfeit goods. Courts concluded 13,700 first-instance civil IP cases, with small-claims procedures averaging 20.72 days per case. Procuratorates handled 204 IP-related criminal cases. Public satisfaction with IP protection in Chongqing ranked second in Western China.
IP utilization efficiency kept increasing, strongly supporting high-quality industrial development. Chongqing took the lead nationally by issuing the first reform plan in the IP field, "Implementation Plan for Building a Full-Chain IP Operation Mechanism in Chongqing," integrating cultivation, financing, transfer, transaction, and services to stimulate innovation entities' enthusiasm for commercializing scientific achievements. IP pledge financing exceeded 6.5 billion yuan, benefiting 550 small and medium-sized tech firms. Universities in Chongqing comprehensively reviewed dormant patents, transferring or licensing 3,060 invention patents with an industrialization rate of 10.62%.
IP public services were continuously optimized, enhancing innovation entities' experience. Over 20 IP service items became available online, simplifying procedures for the public. Chongqing pioneered a streamlined online platform for IP pledge financing, enabling applications, valuation, and pledge registration with a processing time cut by more than half. Copyright registration can now be completed without leaving home.
Bian Minggao, Secondary Inspector of the Municipal Publicity Department, stated that the city's general copyright registrations surpassed 200,000 for the first time in 2025, reaching 203,000, an 11.4% year-on-year increase. Efforts have integrated copyright confirmation, utilization, and protection, creating an industrial ecosystem where copyright elements are tradable, accessible, and consumable. Using AI and other emerging technologies, the copyright registration platform was upgraded, and the "Shuxiang Chongqing" app incorporated copyright services, offering online application, review, and electronic certification via the "Yukuai Ban" system. Over 500,000 people have completed copyright registration entirely online. Grassroots copyright service activities continued, providing registration, legal consultation, education, and trading services to key units and sectors. A "green channel" facilitated registration for over 1,000 micro-drama works.
Yang Fan, Deputy Director of the Municipal Economic and Information Technology Commission, reported that effective invention patents held by industrial and mining enterprises accounted for 68.5% in 2025, with an average annual growth of 21% in patents per 100 million yuan revenue over three years. The high-quality development index for manufacturing remained first in Western China. To enhance industrial clusters, Chongqing aligned enterprise needs with task lists, precisely matching resources like industry, innovation, patents, talent, capital, and data to improve supply chain collaboration. In key technology R&D and commercialization, leading firms posed challenges with orders, partnering with upstream/downstream enterprises and universities to solve them. Forty-nine industrial innovation complexes were established, fostering collaboration among large, medium, and small firms and facilitating the commercialization of over 2,300 high-value patents. For digital and intelligent transformation, the "AI+Manufacturing" initiative advanced, building 1,231 digital workshops, 211 smart factories, 20 future factories, 22 national top-tier smart factories (first in Western China), and achieving a breakthrough with four global "Lighthouse Factories." Key process digitalization rates led the region. Financial support included 26 cooperative banks pre-approving 136 billion yuan in credit for 13,000 enterprises, with loan rates as low as 2.4%. IP was weighted more heavily in listing preparations, helping 66 firms list on the New Third Board and 56 industrial enterprises go public.
Huang Zhisheng, Head of the Intellectual Property Crime Investigation Brigade of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, detailed efforts to ensure businesses can focus on innovation and operation without concerns. In 2025, police cracked 241 IP infringement and counterfeit goods cases through the "Kunlun" initiative. Addressing new infringement models in short videos, they solved cases involving internal leaks and piracy affecting leading micro-drama companies, protecting emerging industries. A protected enterprise list included 67 vulnerable firms; over 110 police-business discussions were held, assisting with 27 risk assessments and resolving 24隐患 points. Collaboration with IP, market regulation, and copyright authorities improved case transfers and information sharing, enhancing "police+administration" coordination, "police+expert" services, and "police+prosecution+court" cooperation to boost IP protection efficiency.
Sun Hailong, Vice President of the Municipal High Court, outlined measures to address high costs, long cycles, and low compensation in IP disputes. Punitive damages were applied in 13 cases covering patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and unfair competition. A technical fact-finding mechanism integrated technical investigation officers, consultants, appraisers, expert assistants, and jurors. Nine巡回审判 stations were set up in key zones like Western (Chongqing) Science City, Bishan, Rongchang, Changshou, and Qianjiang, plus three contact points at Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Chongqing Digital Economy Industrial Park, and Chongqing IP Protection Center, offering一站式 services including trials, legal education, and risk alerts.
Hou Wei, Deputy Head of the Chongqing Branch of the People's Bank of China, described support for tech firms using IP in financing. Data integration solved valuation challenges, with Chongqing Credit Reference Company developing a financial-logic-based IP valuation model using multi-source data and providing free assessments to banks, reducing fees from thousands to zero yuan per evaluation. Process optimization streamlined IP pledge financing, cutting processing from 15 to 7 days and reducing manual entries from over 50 to about 10. Risk mitigation included incorporating eligible IP pledge guarantees into sci-tech innovation guarantee programs, with municipal risk sharing for unfunded but filed cases. Policy benefits have reached 550 projects.
He Dawei added that Chongqing advanced the "Chongqing Enterprises Going Global" IP protection initiative to safeguard outbound businesses. An integrated framework for international IP protection is taking shape, with policies supporting risk prediction and early warning. Customized guidance was provided to 28 export-oriented firms in sectors like new energy vehicles and medical devices, standardizing overseas IP management. Future steps include expanding international cooperation, improving dispute response systems, setting up overseas stations, establishing industry IP alliances, releasing compliance guidelines, enriching expert pools, and hosting events like "Chongqing Law Escorts Global Trade" to strengthen IP support for the city's open economy.
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