Jiangsu province topped nation in patents last year

Jiangsu topped mainland provinces and municipalities with nearly 200,000 patents granted and more than 348,000 patent applications filed in 2011, according to the provincial intellectual property office.

Companies were the driving force with nearly 60 percent of the patents granted in the province last year.

The figures show an increasing awareness of intellectual property in Jiangsu's industrial and commercial sectors, local officials said.