Chinese innovators submitted 1,010,406 patent applications in 2015, exceeding previous global records.
The figure, revealed in the latest edition of a United Nations intellectual property report, makes the Chinese patent office the first to top the landmark figure. A total of 359,316 patents were granted—meaning that the Chinese agency surpassed the United States patent office as the largest issuer for the first time in 2015.
The news indicates that the Asian powerhouse is increasingly challenging its stereotype as a nation of imitators, rather than innovators.
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