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Sharp Rise Seen in Chinese Patents
ianare writes "According to a report by the UN's intellectual property agency, the number of requests for patents in China grew by 33% in 2005 compared with the previous year. That gives it the world's third highest number behind Japan and the United States, the agency said. China's leaders have been urging companies to become more creative, and put more of their money into developing new technology. 'Made by China' rather than simply 'Made in China' will mean that the country's economic miracle stands a far better chance of lasting longer."
So filing and (maybe) getting patents granted equals creativity?
I think we have seen enough "Creative Patenting" that are comparable to "Creative Accounting".
Virtual Betting on Facebook for non-geeks.
Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
to settle bets on whether patents are just a crazy foreign legend.
'No way, man. Someone is just messing with you!'
'I swear it is true, you just find something that isn't yet patented, like breathing or clicking on a triangle instead of a box, then get a patent on that, then sue everybody'
'Bullcrap!'
'Ok, I will patent something myself. That will show you.'
They whose government reduces their essential liberties for temporary security, receive neither liberty nor security.
I think the US had big hopes for selling IP to china. After having outsource pretty much anything that can be outsourced war and IP is pretty much all there is to export from USA. If China leaps ahead of US sience and production its going to be the west who stands there with their pants down and hat in hand. All this because of extreem shortsighted greed that made everyone outsource their factories instead of making them more effective. It would have been much better in the long run to have sold complete products to china instead.
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Well, if China begins to invest massively in their own research and thus begins filiing patents and such, at some point they will really have to enforce some sort of IP Law to protect their own innovations and interests.
Up until now, for all those cheap chinese knock-offs and blatant copies of other companies work, disregarding IP Law in China was actually useful, but with own patents and ideas, I would guess that chinese companies will be enforcing IP Law more strictly in the future because now disregarding IP Law will actually harm them.
And yes IP Law can be useful, even if Patent Law is completely stupid and borderline dangerous at the moment. Because laws and rules of handling intellectual property can also encompass things like the GPL or the Creative Commons Licenses and I think it could be useful if such things can be enforced in China more strictly in the future.
What does it say about free-market capitalism that we so fear that China will become like US?
Or am I the only one who worries about another patent-grabbing, carbon-swilling, profit-hungry, consumer-driven super-economy on the planet, this one with a billion jean-wearing, Starbucks-guzzling, Wal-Mart-shopping para-Americans?
You can bet that the Western Paul Wolfowitz, IMF-types are trying to figure out a way to put that genie back in the bottle. After all, they may say that global warming is a myth or "not affected by human activity" but that's only for public consumption. When they're sitting around their Emperor of Earth Gentleman's Club, you best believe they know better.
"But first" they say, "we have to get those damn Chinese to buy into the intellectual property thing. Otherwise our whole house of cards comes down. Now pass me some-a them quail hearts, son. The donkey show starts in a few minutes."
You are welcome on my lawn.
Sure, China might take a hit on their huge USD reserves, but in the mean while, they have built hundreds of factories, infrastructure and acquired real skills and real wealth. McDonalds recently announced a 30% pay raise for its employees in China. When was the last time that happened in the US?
They are also gaining political influence in countries with rich natural resources, such as in Africa and the Middle East. That influence would remain long after the dollar loses its reserve currency status. Their stockpile of dollars is also being used to threaten the US itself.
I welcome the rest of the world starting to step up to plate and contribute. Innovation isn't a zero sum game and the more creative people working in integrated and "open" economies the better. A successful China doesn't need to be a negative to the world. The competition between G7 countries results in a net positive. Admittedly China still poses many concerns with it's repressive government. However the more integrated and successful they become, the more they have to lose by not playing by international rules. There are a billion Chinese looking to take your job, but hopefully there will also be a billion Chinese consumers looking for your goods and services.
Come now, you have dirt cheap labor, little to no government environmental/personnel regulation, and a fixed yuan-dollar ratio. There's no miracle, it's just simple economics. Had China not been closed for so many years, they would have reached this point a couple of decades ago.
China will find the same problem that the west has - everyone want's to be upper (or middle) class eventually. Very few in China are reaping the benfits of the changes, and many are happy just to make a better living than they had before. Eventually, thier children - or children's children - will want far more, and will expect more. A growing middle class will not put up with the destruction of their natural environment and unsafe (or "unfair" - definine it as you wish) working conditions. Pressure will be placed on the govenerment from many sides, and the government will start changing things.
It is simply a matter of time before things change. There are still places where manufacturing is cheap in the US. There are places in the US where $50k can provide a pleasant lifestyle for a family, and $80-90k is the local upper class. And some of those places are pretty darned nice places to live. Some may think those numbers are high, and those of you in the major metro areas will wonder how anyone can afford groceries on such an income. (Hint: in the next town over from me, there are new, 2000SF houses on a acre of land selling for under $100/sf, and taxes are under 1% of the value) As the middle class increases in China, the same wage pressures will occur, and - if they ever de-link their currency - it's going to result in the cost of goods from China increasing at a dramatic rate.
There will be more IP based production - it's the hallmark of modern civilization. Interestingly, I think we will find globalization retreat a bit in the next 50 years. As the cost of production increases in low-wage markets, transportation costs will shift marginal items back to a local advantage. This may become accellerated by the increasing cost for fuel (which, imho, is artificially inflated by the speculation markets...but that's another show). It will not put things back to the 1960s or 70s, but a new dynamic balance will form.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
1) Force people to work for a pittance
2) Allow children to make toxic toys for Americans
3) No minimum hours per week, no overtime
4) IP theft
5) Lax environmental regulations
But most of all, at least relating to America's 850 billion dollar trade deficit (as of 2007), is the fact that China artificially lowers the Yaun to appear more competitive on the global market. This practice alone has decimated U.S. manufacturing sector and is why we have a nearly 1 trillion dollar trade deficit - with no end in sight.
I'm sure the rest of the world will treat Chinese IP with the same respect that they've shown for the rest of the world.
Knowing China's penchant for taking shortcuts, I'd double-check every one of those patents against existing registries.
To paraphrase Hunter S. Thompson, "Revaluing the Yaun just slaps at the problem. Nerve gas solves it."
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I've talked to several people who have run into their own patents being rewritten in Chinese and patented in China by someone in China. Its amazing what they are allowing, simple google searches would reveal the patent is a copy and yet, seemingly totally legal. I wonder how many of this rise in patents is due to this policy/process/scam? However, as one of my language professors once said, translations are often creative.
'Made by China' rather than simply 'Made in China' will mean that the country's economic miracle stands a far better chance of lasting longer.
I suppose it was a "miracle" when we used slaves here in the US to do farming, build railroads, etc?
They have 1/5 the total world population...current estimate: 1,321,851,888.
Japan has 127,433,494 people.
And the US? 301,139,947.
China has more than 3 times the population of Japan and the US combined.
Further, China is taking the cheapest route on everything, and is suffering for it. The air quality there is horrendous, the water isn't drinkable - hell, we'll need to worry about them invading someone soon just so they can find someplace to be able to breathe. Cutting corners, doing no pollution control, no sanitation efforts...yeah, of course you can make extra $$ that way. At what cost, though.
The only miraculous thing here is that they are doing so poorly despite these and other things massively in their favor.