09-01-2009
Patents, China raises protections for exporters
| The Chinese patent office permits three types of patents: invention patents that are similar to U.S. utility patents having 20 years of protection, utility model patents that have 10 years of protection, and design patents. The utility model patents are particularly popular with domestic applicants because they are easier and faster to prepare, do not undergo substantive examinations before being granted, and cost less. 23 For these reasons, utility model patents may be of substandard quality intrinsically. ( ) 23 Patenting Landscape in China, Evalueserve, May 2008. |