From Reuters:
China’s parliament on Saturday passed a revised patent law that will permit inventors to seek patents in other countries before obtaining them domestically, opening the door to more filings by Chinese firms overseas.
The amended law, which will take effect on Oct. 1 next year, aims to encourage innovation and improve China’s international competitiveness, the official Xinhua news agency said.
Currently, the law requires that those who come up with inventions in China must apply for domestic patents before applying for them in another country.
However, the amendment stipulates that before they can apply for patents overseas, inventors must first have their innovations vetted by the government to determine whether they should be made “national secrets”, Xinhua said.
