1.3 Million Idle Patents Inventoried—What’s Next?
Does your company sit on a few “sleeping patents” that never became products or orders? You are not alone. Since the 2023 Patent Commercialization Action Plan, over 2,700 Chinese universities and research institutes inventoried 1.349 million patents, with 680,000 entering a transformable resource pool. But inventorying is only step one; the hard part is commercialization. The newly issued Notice on Deepening the Patent Commercialization Special Action and Accelerating a Long-term Mechanism (hereinafter the “Notice”) shifts the focus from counting to converting—and to durable mechanisms.
The Notice’s Main Line: Anchor Goals, Highlight Priorities, Optimize Policy, Codify Experience, Build Mechanisms
The Notice reaffirms the action’s main line—”promote the industrialization of a batch of high-value patents”—and sets a “1+4” goal: “1” is new high-value patent industrialization; “4” covers higher university/research implementation and industrialization rates, intrinsic growth of tech SMEs, stronger key-industry chains, and more patent-intensive products. Supply, demand, policy and service sides act together to build a market-driven long-term mechanism.
Four Key Tasks and Fifteen Measures
1. High-quality revitalization of university/research stock patents
Match supply and demand online and offline; prioritize patents both sides value; pilot AI large-models for precise sub-field matching.
2. Boost SMEs and key industries via patent industrialization
Cultivate model patent-industrialization enterprises into “little giants” or single champions; coordinate industry IP alliances, operation centers and key-industry patent pools; raise patent-intensive product quality and quantity.
3. Policy orientation toward patent quality
Review patent-related policies, abolish “quantity-only” assessments that hinder commercialization; improve university/research management; roll out “patent agency service procurement policy” with a “quality-based pricing” principle.
4. Accelerate a long-term commercialization mechanism
Dynamic graded patent management; promote “pay-after-use” and “open licensing”; push job-based IP empowerment and asset separate management; build an open collaborative ecosystem; strengthen IP services.
Two Opportunities Enterprises Can Seize Now
Open licensing & pay-after-use: universities/research institutes are guided to expand channels, letting enterprises obtain licenses at lower threshold and risk.
AI precision matching: local pilots match technology needs with stock patents, helping enterprises raise conversion efficiency via government-built platforms.
FAQ
Q: How can an SME enter the “model enterprise” pipeline?
A: Local authorities build cultivation pools and give selected high-growth tech SMEs special support in examination, protection and operation services; on meeting standards they become model patent-industrialization enterprises.
Q: What is “open licensing” and why does it help?
A: Open licensing is a declaratory mode where a right-holder offers licenses to anyone on clear terms, cutting negotiation cost; the Notice encourages universities to adopt it so enterprises gain implementation rights more easily.
Q: What are the benefits of patent-intensive products?
A: In 2024 China recognized over 3,100 such products worth 940 billion yuan; the Notice strengthens filing and cultivation, guiding enterprises to build strong brands around hard tech.
Source
This article is originally written based on the interpretation of the Notice on Deepening the Patent Commercialization Special Action and Accelerating a Long-term Mechanism published by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA). Source: CNIPA Notice Interpretation (2025-05-30). This is a policy interpretation for reference only and does not constitute official interpretation or legal advice.
Related: Free Patent Annuity Monitor helps secure the stability of commercialized patents; Trademark Classification Table supports brand planning. For patent commercialization and strategy assessment, contact Hefei Zhihai Yida Patent Agency (CNIPA Code 34408).
This article introduces the intellectual property system of the People’s Republic of China (China). For the most current rules, please refer to the official sources.