CNIPA December 2025 Report on Examination and Registration Statistics
Published 3 February 2026
Xia Yu
In late January 2026, the National Intellectual Property Administration of China (“CNIPA”) released its Monthly Report on Examination and Registration Statistics for December 2025, disclosing data on the examination and registration of patents, trademarks, geographical indications, and integrated circuit layout designs in China from January to December 2025. According to the report, compared with 2024, domestic invention patents in China showed significant growth, and PCT internationalization efforts strengthened. Trademark registrations declined somewhat, but the stock of trademarks continued to increase, and the efficiency of trademark dispute resolution continued to improve.
Valid invention patents continued to grow, while utility model patents saw a slight decline, and design patents increased modestly. As of the end of 2025, the total number of valid invention patents reached 6,317,555, an increase of approximately 11.1% compared with 2024. The number of valid utility model patents was 11,529,735, a decrease of 1.1% from 2024. The number of valid design patents was 3,170,825, an increase of 3.2% from 2024. The growth in valid invention patents was entirely driven by domestic applications. Compared with the same period last year, the number of valid invention patents of foreign origin decreased by 8,601. This demonstrates the further strengthening of the dominant position of domestic innovation entities in the accumulation of invention patents, with an increase of nearly 2 percentage points. Although the total number of valid utility model patents remains the largest, growth has weakened. This may be influenced by examination policies or adjustments in the application structure.
In 2025, enterprises dominated both in terms of the proportion of patent grants and the proportion of valid invention patents, accounting for 70.1% and 74.5%, respectively. The proportion of valid patents held by enterprises is higher than their proportion of grants, reflecting the strong patent accumulation capability of Chinese enterprises. Higher education institutions accounted for 21.2% of grants, higher than their 17.1% share of valid patents. This suggests a lower rate of patent commercialization or maintenance among higher education institutions. Although the proportion of patents held by individuals is low, their share of valid patents is still higher than their share of grants, indicating a relatively strong patent accumulation capability.
The annual number of invention and utility model patent grants declined. In 2025, the number of invention patent grants was 971,930, a decrease of 72,847 compared with 2024. The number of utility model patent grants was 1,461,369, a decrease of 548,288 compared with 2024. The number of design patent grants was 666,245, an increase of 22,927 compared with 2024. The decline in invention patent grants may be related to stricter examination or changes in the application structure. The proportion of domestic invention patent grants continued to rise, increasing from 90.8% in 2024 to 92.9% in 2025. The number of invention patent grants to foreign applicants decreased significantly, dropping by 37,373 compared with 2024.
In 2025, the number of PCT applications was 78,496, an increase of approximately 5.1% compared with the previous year. Growth was mainly driven by domestic applicants. Domestic PCT applications accounted for 92.9% of the total, an increase of 0.1 percentage point compared with the same period last year. This modest growth indicates a slight enhancement in the awareness of Chinese enterprises regarding international patent portfolio strategies.
In 2025, the number of trademark registrations was 4,205,797, a decrease of approximately 12% compared with 2024. Factors contributing to this significant decline include the impact of the economic environment and adjustments to China’s trademark registration policies. Among these, domestic trademark registrations decreased by 556,057, accounting for 96.72% of the total decline. Foreign trademark registrations also decreased by 18,877. This indicates a slowdown in the activity of foreign brands entering the Chinese market. As of the end of 2025, the number of valid trademark registrations in China was 53,031,586, an increase of 6.5% compared with the previous year. The continued growth in the stock of valid trademarks demonstrates the ongoing enhancement of trademark protection awareness in China.
The efficiency of trademark examination in China improved significantly, with the efficiency of review adjudications surpassing that of opposition adjudications. In 2025, the number of opposition applications and adjudications was 111,300 and 112,241, respectively. Compared with the same period last year, the number of applications decreased by 10,638, while the number of adjudications increased by 9,637. The annual number of review case applications and adjudications was 351,580 and 384,126, respectively. Compared with the same period last year, the number of applications decreased by 64,168, while the number of adjudications increased by 1,027.
The number of integrated circuit layout design applications and issuances remained relatively stable. In 2025, the number of integrated circuit layout design applications and issuances was 11,482 and 10,302, respectively. Compared with the same period last year, these figures decreased by 24 and 306, respectively.
The number of geographical indication recognitions and the number of entities authorized to use geographical indication symbols increased simultaneously. In 2025, CNIPA recognized 2,522 geographical indication products, an increase of 2,486 compared with the previous year. The number of business entities approved to use geographical indication symbols was 20,329, an increase of 10,649 compared with the previous year. Fifty-one geographical indications were registered as collective or certification trademarks, a decrease of 74 compared with the previous year.
Valid invention patents continued to grow, while utility model patents saw a slight decline, and design patents increased modestly. As of the end of 2025, the total number of valid invention patents reached 6,317,555, an increase of approximately 11.1% compared with 2024. The number of valid utility model patents was 11,529,735, a decrease of 1.1% from 2024. The number of valid design patents was 3,170,825, an increase of 3.2% from 2024. The growth in valid invention patents was entirely driven by domestic applications. Compared with the same period last year, the number of valid invention patents of foreign origin decreased by 8,601. This demonstrates the further strengthening of the dominant position of domestic innovation entities in the accumulation of invention patents, with an increase of nearly 2 percentage points. Although the total number of valid utility model patents remains the largest, growth has weakened. This may be influenced by examination policies or adjustments in the application structure.
In 2025, enterprises dominated both in terms of the proportion of patent grants and the proportion of valid invention patents, accounting for 70.1% and 74.5%, respectively. The proportion of valid patents held by enterprises is higher than their proportion of grants, reflecting the strong patent accumulation capability of Chinese enterprises. Higher education institutions accounted for 21.2% of grants, higher than their 17.1% share of valid patents. This suggests a lower rate of patent commercialization or maintenance among higher education institutions. Although the proportion of patents held by individuals is low, their share of valid patents is still higher than their share of grants, indicating a relatively strong patent accumulation capability.
The annual number of invention and utility model patent grants declined. In 2025, the number of invention patent grants was 971,930, a decrease of 72,847 compared with 2024. The number of utility model patent grants was 1,461,369, a decrease of 548,288 compared with 2024. The number of design patent grants was 666,245, an increase of 22,927 compared with 2024. The decline in invention patent grants may be related to stricter examination or changes in the application structure. The proportion of domestic invention patent grants continued to rise, increasing from 90.8% in 2024 to 92.9% in 2025. The number of invention patent grants to foreign applicants decreased significantly, dropping by 37,373 compared with 2024.
In 2025, the number of PCT applications was 78,496, an increase of approximately 5.1% compared with the previous year. Growth was mainly driven by domestic applicants. Domestic PCT applications accounted for 92.9% of the total, an increase of 0.1 percentage point compared with the same period last year. This modest growth indicates a slight enhancement in the awareness of Chinese enterprises regarding international patent portfolio strategies.
In 2025, the number of trademark registrations was 4,205,797, a decrease of approximately 12% compared with 2024. Factors contributing to this significant decline include the impact of the economic environment and adjustments to China’s trademark registration policies. Among these, domestic trademark registrations decreased by 556,057, accounting for 96.72% of the total decline. Foreign trademark registrations also decreased by 18,877. This indicates a slowdown in the activity of foreign brands entering the Chinese market. As of the end of 2025, the number of valid trademark registrations in China was 53,031,586, an increase of 6.5% compared with the previous year. The continued growth in the stock of valid trademarks demonstrates the ongoing enhancement of trademark protection awareness in China.
The efficiency of trademark examination in China improved significantly, with the efficiency of review adjudications surpassing that of opposition adjudications. In 2025, the number of opposition applications and adjudications was 111,300 and 112,241, respectively. Compared with the same period last year, the number of applications decreased by 10,638, while the number of adjudications increased by 9,637. The annual number of review case applications and adjudications was 351,580 and 384,126, respectively. Compared with the same period last year, the number of applications decreased by 64,168, while the number of adjudications increased by 1,027.
The number of integrated circuit layout design applications and issuances remained relatively stable. In 2025, the number of integrated circuit layout design applications and issuances was 11,482 and 10,302, respectively. Compared with the same period last year, these figures decreased by 24 and 306, respectively.
The number of geographical indication recognitions and the number of entities authorized to use geographical indication symbols increased simultaneously. In 2025, CNIPA recognized 2,522 geographical indication products, an increase of 2,486 compared with the previous year. The number of business entities approved to use geographical indication symbols was 20,329, an increase of 10,649 compared with the previous year. Fifty-one geographical indications were registered as collective or certification trademarks, a decrease of 74 compared with the previous year.