The protection period of the invention patent stipulated by law starts from that year.

The term of protection of the invention patent shall be counted from the date when the patent administrative department of the State Council receives the patent application documents. However, if the application documents of the patent applicant are submitted by post, the protection period of the invention patent shall be counted from the postmark date.

legal ground

/kloc-article 28 of the patent law of People's Republic of China (PRC), which came into effect on June, 0.

The date when the patent administrative department of the State Council receives the patent application documents is the filing date. If the application documents are mailed, the postmark date of mailing shall be the application date.

Article 29

An applicant who applies for a patent for invention or utility model for the first time in a foreign country within 12 months, or for a patent for design for the first time in a foreign country within 6 months, and applies for a patent on the same subject in China, may enjoy the priority according to the agreement signed by the foreign country and China or the international treaties to which they are both parties, or according to the principle of mutual recognition of priority.

Applicants who file a patent application for invention or utility model for the first time in China within 12 months, or apply for a patent for design for the first time in China within 6 months may enjoy priority.