Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng speaks at the opening ceremony of the 21st Shanghai International Intellectual Property Forum in Shanghai on Dec 4, 2024. [Photo/WeChat account: shanghaifabu]

Shanghai is steadfast in its commitment to fostering a world-class environment for intellectual property or IP protection, Mayor Gong Zheng said on Dec 4 at the opening ceremony of the 21st Shanghai International Intellectual Property Forum.

Highlighting the city's dedication to its IP development, Gong noted that Shanghai authorized 43,400 invention patents in the first 10 months of 2024, representing a year-on-year growth of over 15 percent.

By the end of November, the number of high-value invention patents per 10,000 residents in Shanghai had risen to 56, an increase of nearly six compared with the end of the previous year.

Daren Tang, director-general of the World Intellectual Property Organization, recognized Shanghai as an emerging global hub for science and technology in his video address. He praised the city for its cutting-edge industrial sectors and dynamic business environment.

Shanghai is home to over 24,000 enterprises in key sectors such as artificial intelligence, biopharmaceuticals and semiconductors.

It also boasts nearly 40 unicorn startups valued at more than $1 billion each, ranking sixth globally, Tang said.

His confidence was shared by others. "Shanghai exemplifies innovation-driven development in China and East Asia," said Wang Binying, deputy director-general of WIPO.

From 2014 to 2023, the number of effective invention patents in Shanghai surged from 56,000 to 241,400, effective trademark registrations grew from 432,000 to 2.61 million and Patent Cooperation Treaty applications increased from 1,038 to 6,185 – all reflecting five to six-fold growth.

During the same period, the city's GDP doubled from 2.35 trillion yuan ($323.81 billion) to 4.72 trillion yuan, Wang added.

Shanghai has consolidated its position as a key center for IP activities both in China and globally, Tang said.

In 2023, the city filed nearly 370,000 trademark applications, 100,000 patent applications and 25,000 design patent applications.

What's more, the Shanghai-Suzhou Cluster ranked fifth among the top 100 global science and technology clusters in WIPO’s Global Innovation Index.

WIPO's Wang also highlighted the transformative changes in global economic and innovation landscapes, with China and East Asia emerging as key innovation hubs.

According to WIPO's World Intellectual Property Indicators Report, global patent applications reached a record 3.5 million in 2023 – with China, Japan and South Korea accounting for 67 percent of the total.

Additionally, global Patent Cooperation Treaty applications rose to 272,600, with 55.6 percent originating from Asia, a significant increase from 40.5 percent in 2013.