China speeds up patent reviews

China's efficiency in reviewing patent and trademark applications improved last year, the country's intellectual property regulator said.

Data released by the China National Intellectual Property Administration on Thursday showed that the average time spent reviewing an invention patent was reduced to 16 months last year, while the average period spent reviewing a trademark application remained at four months.

The administration also handled more IP applications last year. It authorized 921,000 invention patents and registered 4.38 million trademarks.

IP regulators at all levels also solved about 14,000 patent disputes, up 50.1 percent year-on-year, and helped Chinese enterprises protect their IP rights overseas in more than 1,300 cases.