SIPO and EPO highlight IP cooperation

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

SIPO and EPO highlight IP cooperation

Officials from SIPO and EPO met in Lyon, France earlier this month to commemorate 30 years of cooperation and also to discuss further collaboration

The conference celebrated the 30th anniversary of bilateral cooperation between SIPO and the EPO and attracted over 140 Chinese and European experts from industry, government and academia.

"The close cooperation between the patent offices of Europe and China has been instrumental in developing a modern and efficient intellectual property system in China, which greatly benefits innovating businesses in both regions," said EPO President Benoît Battistelli in a press release.

Technology boom

Intellectual property in China is developing at a fast pace. Filings from Chinese companies at the EPO increased tenfold over the past decade and growth continues to be strong, Battistelli told China Daily. Following the US, Japan, and Germany, China is the fourth largest overseas filer to the EPO, with approximately 26,000 patent applications in 2014.

For Chinese companies filing at the EPO, the busiest areas were digital communications, computer technology and telecommunications. In digital communications, Chinese accounted for approximately one third of total filings worldwide. Meanwhile, filings from EU member states mainly focused on electrical machinery, apparatus, energy, medical technology, and transport areas. 

Telecommunication giants Huawei and ZTE are among the top 10 filers in Europe, with 1,600 and 476 patent applications respectively. Most of the other standout Chinese filers also come from the technology sector, including BOE Technology, China Academy of Telecommunications Technology, Baidu, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Xiaomi.

The result fully reflects that technology is a major driving force to China’s economy development and China has taken great efforts to encourage domestic innovation, Battistelli told China Daily.

Promote innovation – a global issue

China is seeking to transition to an innovation-based economy from one focused on manufacturing. As the legitimate tool to secure one’s innovation achievement, intellectual property is a crucial role in the shift.

The importance of IP is gaining serious attention by China government in recent years. Lately, China took a great leap forward in IP development by opening three specialised IP courts in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, which is regarded as a boon for multinationals.

Nevertheless, SIPO Commissioner Shen Changyu noted the importance of promoting and protecting innovation in a global scope. “The SIPO and the EPO will engage in deeper and more extensive co-operation to jointly promote innovation,” he said in a press release. “I am convinced that this will make an even greater contribution to the development of economies, technologies and cultures in China and Europe. It will also strengthen the development of global intellectual property and bring more benefits to innovators worldwide."

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Leaders at US law firms explain what attorneys can learn from AI cases involving Meta and Anthropic, and why the outcomes could guide litigation strategies
Attorneys reveal the trademark and copyright trends they’ve noticed within the first half of 2025
Senior leaders at TE Connectivity and Clarivate explain how they see the future of innovation
A new action filed by Nokia against Asus and a landmark ruling on counterfeits by South Africa’s Supreme Court were also among the top talking points
Counsel explain how they’re navigating patent prosecution matters and highlight key takeaways from Federal Circuit cases
A partner who joined Fenwick alongside two others explains what drew her to the firm and her hopes for growth in Boston
The England and Wales High Court has granted Kirkland & Ellis client Samsung interim declaratory relief in its ongoing FRAND dispute with ZTE
A UDRP decision that found in favour of a small business in a domain name dispute could encourage more businesses to take a stand in ‘David v Goliath’ cases
In Iconix v Dream Pairs, the Supreme Court said the Court of Appeal was wrong to interfere with an earlier ruling, prompting questions about the appeal court’s remit
Chris Moore at HGF reflects on the ‘spirit of collegiality’ that led to an important ruling in G1/24, a case concerning how European patent claims should be interpreted
Gift this article