Article 2. In this Law, "inventions-creations" mean inventions, utility models and designs.

Article 3. The Patent Office of the People's Republic of China receives and examines patent applications and grants patent rights for inventions-creations that conform with the provisions of this Law.

Article 4. Where the invention-creation for which a patent is applied for relates to the security or other vital interests of the State and is required to be kept secret, the application shall be treated in accordance with the relevant prescriptions of the State.

Article 5. No patent right shall be granted for any invention-creation that is contrary to the laws of the State or social morality or that is detrimental to public interest.

Aticle 6. For a service invention-creation, made by a person in execution of the tasks of the entity to which he belongs or made by him mainly by using the material means of the entity, the right to apply for a patent belongs to the entity. For any non-service invention-creation, the right to apply for a patent belongs to the inventor or creator. After the application is approved, if it was filed by an entity under ownership by the whole people, the patent right shall be held by the entity; if it was filed by an entity under collective ownership or by an individual, the patent right shall be owned by the entity or individual.
For a service invention-creation made by any staff member or worker of a foreign enterprise, or of a Chinese-foreign joint venture enterprise, located in China, the right to apply for a patent belongs to the enterprise. For any non-service invention-creation, the right to apply for a patent belongs to the inventor or creator. After the application is approved, the patent right shall be owned by the enterprise or the individual that applied for it.
The owner of the patent right and the holder of the patent right are referred to as "patentee".

Article 7. No entity or individual shall prevent the inventor or creator from filing an application for a patent for a non-service invention-creation.


Article 8. For an invention-creation made in cooperation by two or more entities, or made by an entity in execution of a commission for research or designing given to it by another entity, the right to apply for a patent belongs, unless otherwise agreed upon, to the entity which made, or to the entities which jointly made, the invention-creation. After the application is approved, the patent right shall be owned or held by the entity or entities that applied for it .

Article 9. Where two or more applicants file applications for patent for the identical invention- creation, the patent right shall be granted to the applicant whose application was filed first.

Article 10. The right to apply for a patent and the patent right may be assigned.
Any assignment, by an entity under ownership by the whole people, of the right to apply for a patent, or of the patent right, must be approved by the competent authority at the higher level.
Any assignment, by a Chinese entity or individual, of the right to apply for a patent, or of the patent right, to a foreigner must be approved by the competent department concerned of the State Council.
Where the right to apply for a patent or the patent right is assigned, the parties must conclude a written contract, which will come into force after it is registered with and announced by the Patent Office.

Article 11. After the grant of the patent right for an invention or utility model, except as otherwise provided for in the law, no entity or individual may, without the authorization of the patentee, make, use or sell the patented product, or use the patented process and use or sell the product directly obtained by the patented process, for production or business purposes.
After the grant of the patent right for a design, no entity or individual may, without the authorization of the patentee, make or sell the product, incorporating its or his patented design, for production or business purposes.
After the grant of the patent right, except as otherwise provided for in the law, the patentee has the right to prevent any other person from importing, without its or his authorization, the patented product, or the product directly obtained by its or his patented process, for the uses mentioned in the preceding two paragraphs.

Article 12. Any entity or individual exploiting the patent of another must, except as provided for in Article 14 of this Law, conclude with the patentee a written license contract for exploitation and pay the patentee a fee for the exploitation of the patent. The licensee has no right to authorize any entity or individual, other than that referred to in the contract for exploitation, to exploit the patent.

Article 13. After the publication of the application for a patent for invention, the applicant may require the entity or individual exploiting the invention to pay an appropriate fee.

Article 14. The competent departments concerned of the State Council and the people's governments of provinces, autonomous regions or municipalities directly under the Central Government have the power to decide, in accordance with the State plan, that any entity under ownership by the whole people that is within their system or directly under their administration and that holds the patent right to an important invention-creation is to allow designated entities to exploit that invention- creation; and the exploiting entity shall, according to the prescriptions of the State, pay a fee for exploitation to the entity holding the patent right.
Any patent of a Chinese individual or entity under collective ownership, which is of great significance to the interests of the State or to the public interest and is in need of spreading and application, may, after approval by the State Council at the solicitation of its competent department concerned, be treated alike by making reference to the provisions of the preceding paragraph.

Article 15. The patentee has the right to affix a patent marking and to indicate the number of the patent on the patented product or on the packing of that product.

Article 16. The entity owning or holding the patent right shall award to the inventor or creator of a service invention-creation a reward and, upon exploitation of the patented invention-creation, shall award to the inventor or creator a reward based on the extent of spreading and application and the economic benefits yielded.

Article 17. The inventor or creator has the right to be named as such in the patent document.

Article 18. Where any foreigner, foreign enterprise or other foreign organization having no habitual residence or business office in China files an application for a patent in China, the application shall be treated under this Law in accordance with any agreement concluded between the country to which the applicant belongs and China, or in accordance with any international treaty to which both countries are party, or on the basis of the principle of reciprocity.

Article 19. Where any foreigner, foreign enterprise or other foreign organization having no habitual residence or business office in China applies for a patent, or has other patent matters to attend to, in China, he or it shall appoint a patent agency designated by the State Council of the People's Republic of China to act as his or its agent.
Where any Chinese entity or individual applies for a patent or has other patent matters to attend to in the country, it or he may appoint a patent agency to act as its or his agent.

Article 20. Where any Chinese entity or individual intends to file an application in a foreign country for a patent for invention-creation made in the country, it or he shall file first an application for patent with the Patent Office and, with the sanction of the competent department concerned of the State Council, shall appoint a patent agency designated by the State Council to act as its or his agent.

Article 21. Until the publication or announcement of the application for a patent, staff members of the Patent Office and persons involved have the duty to keep its content secret.