Chinese Patent Law and Patent Information Service

Abstract

China's Patent Law became effective from 1 April 1985. It protects three kinds of patent: patent for invention; patent for utility model and patent for design. China's patent system adopts deferred examination for the patent of invention. The China Patent Office publishes a lot of documents including specifications, Official Gazette, indexes, etc., has created the databases of Chinese patent documents, and provides online retrieval services both at home and abroad. The Chinese patent information system includes three kinds of lever institute: the Patent Documentation Division and Automation Division of the China Patent Office, more than 20 patent information divisions in provincial institutes of sci-tech information and 64 Chinese patent document depository libraries