Shanghai is stepping up efforts to strengthen intellectual property protection in support of innovation, officials said at a municipal news conference on April 21.

Stronger innovation output

Since 2020, Shanghai has made steady gains in high-value IP creation. The number of high-value invention patents per 10,000 people rose from 29.6 to 65. Over the same period:

• PCT international patent applications increased from 3,558 to 7,446
• Valid registered trademarks grew from around 1.74 million to 2.93 million
• Annual copyright registrations rose from 318,900 to 460,000

Accelerating IP commercialization

Shanghai is improving the use of IP as an economic asset. Since 2020, the number of patent licenses and transfer transactions has increased from 32,000 to 65,000, while annual registered patent and trademark pledge financing rose from 3.84 billion yuan ($562.87 million) to 40.2 billion yuan.

The city has launched a pilot program on the IP finance ecosystem and introduced the country's first trust product for IP services operated on a corporate basis. 

Shanghai has also deepened the pilot program for data product IP registration, with 1,280 applications accepted and 836 certificates issued. The registered products have generated nearly 20 billion yuan in economic value. In addition, 16 enterprises have obtained around 400 million yuan in financing backed by data product IP.

Faster support for emerging industries

Shanghai continues to improve the fast-track patent pre-examination mechanism in key fields such as: 

• New-generation information technology
• Artificial intelligence
• High-end equipment
• Biomedicine
• New materials
• Energy conservation and environmental protection

In 2025, the city's IP protection centers and fast-track rights protection centers handled more than 17,000 patent pre-examination applications, with over 10,000 approved. The average authorization period was shortened to two to three months.

Stronger overseas-related IP services

Shanghai has strengthened support for overseas-related IP protection, including guidance on overseas IP disputes and the establishment of overseas IP service stations. The city has also launched training programs for overseas-related IP professionals, including lawyers and dispute-resolution specialists.

What's next

Shanghai will:

• Improve fast-track patent pre-examination in key industries
• Deepen the pilot program for data product IP registration
• Enhance market-based support for IP commercialization and use
• Strengthen protection in emerging fields and overseas-related IP services
• Develop a strong pool of specialized IP professionals

Source: Shanghai Municipal People's Government