Report shows: China’s intellectual property protection index rises to 6th in the world

China News Service, October 30. The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade held a regular press conference for October on the 30th. Wang Wenshuai, spokesperson of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said that in order to scientifically assess the level of global intellectual property protection and help Chinese companies comprehensively understand the laws, policies and market information on intellectual property protection in key countries, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade has continued to conduct annual research on the Global Intellectual Property Protection Index since 2022, and now officially releases the "Global Intellectual Property Protection Index Report (2025)".

Among them, the "Report" covers 25 major economies, accounting for more than 80% of the world's total economic volume. The indicator system has added cutting-edge indicators such as "the number of patent applications related to artificial intelligence technology" and "the construction ability of intellectual property as an economic asset", focusing more on technological innovation capabilities and the economic contribution of intellectual property.

Wang Wenshuai pointed out that the "Report" shows that global intellectual property protection is becoming more multi-polar. The average intellectual property protection index of 25 countries is 75.03 points, an increase of 5.44 points from the previous year, and all are on the rise. The first tier (80 points and above) consists of 9 countries, including 1 from North America, 4 from Asia, and 4 from Europe. It is changing from "Europe and the United States dominate" to "Asia and Europe coexist". Among them, China performed well, with a score of 81.75, rising from 7th to 6th in the world last year, entering the first tier for the first time; protection performance has remained first in the world for many years, and indicators such as the total number of intellectual property authorizations, the number of geographical indications, the number of patent applications related to artificial intelligence technology, and the number of standard essential patents have continued to lead; the protection foundation ranks second in the world, with outstanding performance in the scale of R&D personnel, corporate R&D investment, and the number of Fortune 500 companies.

In addition, the "Report" recommends that enterprises should incorporate their own development into their business plans, incorporate intellectual property layout into their business plans, and make early plans in the direction of artificial intelligence, data intellectual property, etc.; intellectual property rights should not only be used to "prevent defendants and infringements," but should be used to discuss cooperation and promote development; conduct market, technology, and risk-related research before going overseas to understand the target country's entry thresholds, legal systems, risk scenarios, and its own intellectual property situation, and enhance awareness of international intellectual property compliance. In the near future, the full text of the "Report" will be published on the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade's Trade Law Connect and Trade Enterprise Connect platforms.