The State Intellectual Property Office (Patent Office) is directly under the State Council and is a national administrative institution, so regular employees must be civil servants. Relevant information: The China Patent Office was established in 1980 with the approval of the State Council. In 1998, during the institutional reform of the State Council, the China Patent Office was renamed the State Intellectual Property Office and became an agency directly under the State Council, responsible for patent work and overall coordination of foreign-related intellectual property matters.