On July 11, 2025, the global intellectual property (IP) spotlight fell on Geneva, Switzerland. At the 2025 World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Global Awards, Chinese robotics firm Unitree Robotics was named one of 10 winners, selected from more than 780 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups across 95 countries and regions. Since the awards were launched in 2022, Chinese companies have won prizes for four consecutive years.

"Unitree Robotics is a global pioneer in quadruped robot development, designing agile and affordable robots for education, research, logistics and security," WIPO wrote of the company, which is based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. "Backed by a robust IP portfolio covering mechanical design, control algorithms and embedded software, Unitree is bringing intelligent robotics into everyday life and industry."

Since its founding in 2016, Unitree Robotics has followed a clear strategy focused on early planning, quality-oriented development and global expansion, using IP to safeguard innovation and market growth, Wang Xinyi, head of overseas business, told newspaper China Intellectual Property News. The company has built a portfolio of around 200 granted patents and applications, including nearly 50 international filings under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, ensuring that IP protection keeps pace with its international growth, he continued.

Five additional Chinese enterprises were named among the Top 30 finalists, spanning sectors such as health, environment, agrifood and creative industries, reflecting China's rising competitiveness in IP-intensive fields.

These company-level successes are underpinned by a broader institutional shift. In December 2025, the annual Central Economic Work Conference, where policymakers outline the economic strategy and priorities for the year ahead, emphasized strengthening IP protection in emerging areas to support new growth drivers.

In an era of rapid technological change, IP has become an essential foundation for sustaining innovation, guiding industrial development and strengthening the competitive edge of Chinese enterprises in the global market.

Systematic progress

Under the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), China steadily strengthened its IP system, achieving progress across multiple areas. Patent quality has risen, with over 5 million valid domestic invention patents as well as 16 high-value patents per 10,000 people.

Compared to traditional industries, emerging-industry firms generally view IP as a lifeline and their awareness of protection is stronger, Huang Weicai, CEO of Beijing MQPat Technologies Co. Ltd., a company providing IP services, told Beijing Review.

He added that companies in these sectors are increasingly focused on the commercial value of IP: "Rather than simply accumulating patents, they aim to monetize their IPs and use their portfolios to enhance business competitiveness."

He called for adapting the IP system to the fast-evolving needs of emerging industries and leveraging more hi-tech approaches in patent management, addressing the limitations of traditional frameworks in areas such as AI, big data and biotechnology.

The system should clarify legal boundaries for AI-generated content, training data, algorithm parameters and bio-sequences; refine how infringement and damages are determined in complex technologies; and set norms for AI use in IP applications, balancing efficiency with safeguards, according to Huang.

"Strengthening the IP system for emerging sectors provides innovators with stable legal expectations, reduces the risk of infringement and ensures intellectual achievements are effectively transformed into industrial advantages," Zhu Lin, an IP lawyer in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, said.

Zhu also stressed that strengthening IP protection does not require constantly creating new laws. Priority should be given to better applying existing frameworks, improving coordination and enabling dynamic adjustments. In areas with clear consensus, such as data-related IP, regulators can clarify registration, rights attribution and licensing through administrative or departmental rules rather than rushing into comprehensive legislation.

Enforcement and judicial practice should adopt a technology-sensitive, coordinated approach to respond to rapid innovation and complex infringement, fully leveraging existing tools to deliver efficient, predictable and accessible protection, particularly for individual innovators and early-stage startups, according to Zhu.

Tailored protection

Different emerging industries have distinct IP needs. According to a recent Economic Daily article co-authored by Cong Lixian, Dean of the Intellectual Property School at East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai, protection should align with each industry's development stage. In sectors where IP foundations are weak, such as green technologies, standards should both match international norms and reflect China's national conditions, supporting integration between domestic and global industrial chains.

In cutting-edge areas, including the metaverse and brain-computer interfaces, maintaining open and fair competition is particularly important. Well-conceived IP legislation, judicial interpretation and enforcement prevent monopolization by dominant players while preserving space for smaller firms. Creating and managing IP for key technologies, especially high-quality patents, and protecting trade and technical secrets, are critical to the growth of emerging industries.

Given the global competitive nature of emerging industries, the improvements should also include better alignment with international rules to reduce legal uncertainty for companies operating across borders, Huang said.

Chinese enterprises also face challenges overseas, including complex legal systems, difficulties collecting evidence, high litigation costs and limited participation in international rule-making, Zhu said. He suggested China take on a more active role in formulating international agreements and establish national-level overseas IP enforcement assistance centers.

From the enterprise perspective, Huang highlighted the "injunction threat," a tactic where rights holders can block a competitor's market access using key patents, as a growing challenge.

Addressing such threats is only one aspect of competition. Companies need comprehensive IP strategies combining high-value patent reserves, professional teams and continuous risk monitoring and management. By integrating preemptive planning, real-time oversight and swift and resolute countermeasures, IP can become a genuine source of market competitiveness.

SMEs and access

According to a report released by the China Internet Network Information Center, SMEs accounted for over 70 percent of technological innovation in China as of September 2025, forming the backbone of the country's innovation ecosystem.

However, the lack of resources and capacity to protect their IPs in emerging fields leave SMEs vulnerable to complex international rules and aggressive patent strategies from larger competitors, according to Huang.

Addressing these challenges requires more than hiring external professionals. Huang emphasized that SMEs need IP strategies aligned with their development stage, concentrating resources on core technologies and key products to build high-value, targeted patent portfolios. For certain technologies—such as algorithms, or formulas difficult to reverse-engineer—trade secret protection may be more effective than patent disclosure.

Early-stage planning is critical. Zhu recommended infringement risk assessments during the research and development stage, with timely filings for core technologies, particularly in fast-moving fields such as AI and biotechnology. He also emphasized the importance of adopting appropriate protection tools based on technical characteristics, such as invention patents for core technologies and copyright registration for software.

Freedom-to-operate analyses, cooperation with dedicated IP service providers and flexible use of open-source and proprietary strategies help SMEs manage risks, control costs and enhance competitiveness, Zhu added. 

( Printed Edition Title: Patents as Progress)

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon

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