The patent certificate will be revised from June 1st, these points need to be noted!

Author of this article: Lu Yueying, ScienBiziP, China Process and Information Department

On May 10, 2024, the China National Intellectual Property Administration issued Announcement No. 581 (on the revision of patent certificates). For patents whose authorized announcement date is after June 1, 2024 (including that date), the China National Intellectual Property Administration issued new patent certificates. The new version of the patent certificate adopts the A4 vertical layout and optimizes and adjusts the layout of the recorded items.

The old and new versions of patent certificates have equal legal effect. The China National Intellectual Property Administration does not provide the service of replacing the old patent certificate issued with the new one. For those who request to replace or correct the patent certificate according to the provisions of Section 1.2, Chapter IX, Part V of the Guidelines for Patent Examination, the China National Intellectual Property Administration will issue a new version of the patent certificate after June 1, 2024 (inclusive).

The changes in the old and new versions of the patent certificate are as follows:
1. The number of pages has been adjusted from two to one; 2. The applicant and inventor on the application date have been adjusted from being displayed on the back of the certificate to being displayed on the front of the certificate; 3. Adjust the position of the patent number and patent application date to be level with the position of the authorization announcement number and authorization announcement date, corresponding to each other;

Due to the fact that the patent owner/inventor displayed on the certificate is usually associated with many patent reward policies (such as patent funding), this certificate revision places the applicant and inventor at the time of application on the front of the certificate, making the information at the time of application and authorization more clear. This may mean that policies in this area will be tightened, so innovation entities should pay attention to the applicant and inventor at the time of application.

Attachment: Comparison of New and Old Certificate Styles