The reporter learned from the State Intellectual Property Office that in 2024, China will celebrate the 30th anniversary of joining the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) is one of the important international treaties in the field of intellectual property. The PCT was concluded in 1970 and currently has 158 contracting countries. Applicants only need to submit one PCT international patent application to seek patent protection in multiple contracting countries at the same time.

It is understood that in 1994, Chinese applicants submitted only 98 patent applications through the PCT. By 2023, Chinese applicants submitted nearly 70,000 PCT international patent applications. It has ranked first in the world for five consecutive years.

The number of PCT applications accepted by the China State Intellectual Property Office exceeds 1/4 of the global total, and a group of Chinese applicants have emerged with the largest number of PCT applications. (CCTV reporter Wang Jing)