Eighteen months after filing, the document is made public. This is done specifically to promote the sharing of knowledge. Patents are vital resources for businesses, researchers, inventors, academics and others who need to keep abreast of developments in their fields.
In accordance with the provisions of the Chinese Patent Law and its Implementing Regulations, the China Patent Office publishes and distributes, at regular intervals, the following patent documents:
- Official patent gazettes, including the Patent Gazette for Inventions, the Patent Gazette for Utility Models and the Patent Gazette for Industrial Designs;
- Pamphlets, including specifications regarding applications for inventions (unexamined), specifications of inventions and specifications of utility models; and
- Official patent indexes.
