Patent applications in China posted a V-shaped rebound in the first four months of 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, according to official data.
From January to April, the number of patent applications on the Chinese mainland was 1.32 million, an increase of 5.7 percent year-on-year, China National Intellectual Property Administration said in a statement.
The number of patent applications in February dropped by 33.2 percent compared with the same period in 2019. But it rebounded quickly in March, with a year-on-year growth of 10.5 percent. In April, the growth rate accelerated to 15.7 percent.
The sharp turnaround shows that market entities have fostered innovation to improve their ability to respond to the pandemic, the statement said.
CNIPA also reported an 8.1 percent increase in patent filings by domestic enterprises in the first four months of 2020.
