The Provisions on Patent Electronic Application
Come into effect as of October 1, 2010.
Article 1 The present Provisions are hereby formulated in accordance with Article 2 and
paragraph 2, Article 15 of the Implementing Regulations of the Patent Law of the People’s
Republic of China (hereinafter the Implementing Regulations of the Patent Law), for the
purpose of regulating the relevant procedures and requirements for patent applications put
forward in electronic document form through the Internet (hereinafter the patent electronic
application), making it convenient for applicants to submit patent applications, improving the
efficiency of examining and approving patents and promoting Electronic government
construction.
Article 2 Anyone who wishes to make patent electronic applications shall sign the User
Registration Agreement of Patent Electronic Application System （hereinafter the User
Agreement） with the State Intellectual Property Office beforehand.
A patent agency that opens agency business for patent electronic application shall sign
the User Agreement with the State Intellectual Property Office in the name of the patent
agency.
Where an applicant who appoints a patent agency that has signed the User Agreement
with the State Intellectual Property Office to handle patent electronic application business,
shall be exempted from signing an additional User Agreement with the State Intellectual
Property Office.
Article 3 Where there are two or more applicants without appointing a patent agency, the
applicant submitting the electronic application shall be the representative.
Article 4 Patent Applications of inventions， utility models and industrial designs may
all be filed in electronic document form.
The patent application which enters the Chinese national phase in accordance with the
provisions of paragraph 2, Article 101 of the Implementing Regulations of the Patent Law
may be filed in electronic document form.
For international patent applications being filed to the State Intellectual Property Office in
accordance with the provisions of paragraph 1, Article 101 of the Implementing Regulations
of the Patent Law, the present Provisions shall not apply.
Article 5 Where a patent application relates to the security or other vital interests of the
State and is required to be kept secret, shall be submitted in paper form.
After an applicant submits a patent application in electronic document form, if the State
Intellectual Property Office finds the patent application required to be kept secret, shall
convert the patent application into paper document form to continue examining, and notify the
applicant. The applicant shall submit various documents in paper form in the following
procedure.
Where an applicant files an application for patent directly in a foreign country or an
international patent application with a relevant foreign organization in accordance with item
(1) of paragraph 2, Article 8 of the Implementing Regulations of the Patent Law, shall submit
the Request for Confidentiality Examination and Technical Solution to the State Intellectual
Property Office in paper form.
Article 6 Where an applicant submits a patent electronic application and relevant
documents， he/it shall abide by the file formats， data standards， operational procedures，
and ways of transmission as prescribed. The patent electronic application and relevant
documents which are not received normally by the patent electronic application system of the
State Intellectual Property Office， shall be deemed as not being submitted.
Article 7 Where an applicant goes through various formalities of patent electronic
application, he/it shall submit the relevant documents in electronic document form. Except as
otherwise prescribed, the State Intellectual Property Office shall not accept the relevant
documents in paper form submitted by applicant. And the relevant documents shall be
deemed as not having been submitted in case it does not comply with the provisions of this
paragraph.
Where an applicant files a patent application in paper form which is then accepted, he/it
may request to transfer the paper application into patent electronic application, unless the
patent application relates to the security or other vital interests of the State and is required to
be kept secret.
Where an applicant need transfer a patent electronic application into paper documents in
a special case, he/it shall request and may transfer into the paper application after being
examined and approved by the State Intellectual Property Office and going through relevant
formalities.
Article 8 Where an applicant goes through various formalities of patent electronic
application, for the relevant documents which shall be submitted in original form ruled by the
Patent Law, its Implementing Regulations or the Guidelines for Patent Examination, he/it may
submit electronic scanning documents of the originals. The State Intellectual Property Office
may, when necessary, require the applicant to submit the originals within the specified time
limit.
Where an applicant submits relevant certifying documents for a reduction or
postponement of the payment ruled by the Implementing Regulations of the Patent Law when
making a patent electronic application, He/it should submit the electronic scanning documents
of the originals of the certifying documents when making patent applications. The relevant
certifying documents shall be deemed not being submitted in case the electronic scanning
documents are not submitted.
Article 9 Various documents are submitted to the State Intellectual Property Office in
electronic document form, the date on which the patent electronic application system of the
State Intellectual Property Office receives the electronic documents is the submission date.
Where for the patent electronic applications, various notices, decisions or other
documents are sent by the State Intellectual Property Office to applicants in electronic
document form, the 16th day from the date of mailing shall be presumed to be the date on
which the applicants receive the documents.
Article 10 All the provisions concerning patent application and relevant documents of the
Patent Law, its Implementing Regulations and the Guidelines for Patent Examination except
those especially regulating patent application and relevant documents submitted in paper form,
apply to patent electronic application.
Article 11 The power to interpret the present provisions shall remain with the State
Intellectual Property Office.
Article 12 The present provisions shall enter into force on October 1, 2010. The
Provisions on Electronic Patent Application promulgated by the Ordinance of the State
Intellectual Property Office No.35 shall be repealed at the same time.
第五十七号
《关于专利电子申请的规定》已经局务会议审议通过，现予公布，自 2010 年 10 月 1 日起施行。
局 长 田力普
二○一○年八月二十六日
关于专利电子申请的规定
第一条 为了规范与通过互联网传输并以电子文件形式提出的专利申请（以下
简称专利电子申请）有关的程序和要求，方便申请人提交专利申请，提高专利审批
效率，推进电子政务建设，依照《中华人民共和国专利法实施细则》（以下简称
专利法实施细则）第二条和第十五条第二款，制定本规定。
第二条 提出专利电子申请的，应当事先与国家知识产权局签订《专利电子申
请系统用户注册协议》（以下简称用户协议）。
开办专利电子申请代理业务的专利代理机构，应当以该专利代理机构名义与国
家知识产权局签订用户协议。
申请人委托已与国家知识产权局签订用户协议的专利代理机构办理专利电子申
请业务的，无须另行与国家知识产权局签订用户协议。
第三条 申请人有两人以上且未委托专利代理机构的，以提交电子申请的申请
人为代表人。
第四条 发明、实用新型和外观设计专利申请均可以采用电子文件形式提出。
依照专利法实施细则第一百零一条第二款的规定进入中国国家阶段的专利申
请，可以采用电子文件形式提交。
依照专利法实施细则第一百零一条第一款的规定向国家知识产权局提出专利国
际申请的，不适用本规定。
第五条 申请专利的发明创造涉及国家安全或者重大利益需要保密的，应当以
纸件形式提出专利申请。
申请人以电子文件形式提出专利申请后，国家知识产权局认为该专利申请需要
保密的，应当将该专利申请转为纸件形式继续审查并通知申请人。申请人在后续程
序中应当以纸件形式递交各种文件。
依照专利法实施细则第八条第二款第（一）项直接向外国申请专利或者向有关
国外机构提交专利国际申请的，申请人向国家知识产权局提出的保密审查请求和技
术方案应当以纸件形式提出。
第六条 提交专利电子申请和相关文件的，应当遵守规定的文件格式、数据标
准、操作规范和传输方式。专利电子申请和相关文件未能被国家知识产权局专利电
子申请系统正常接收的，视为未提交。
第七条 申请人办理专利电子申请各种手续的，应当以电子文件形式提交相关
文件。除另有规定外，国家知识产权局不接受申请人以纸件形式提交的相关文件。
不符合本款规定的，相关文件视为未提交。
以纸件形式提出专利申请并被受理后，除涉及国家安全或者重大利益需要保密
的专利申请外，申请人可以请求将纸件申请转为专利电子申请。
特殊情形下需要将专利电子申请转为纸件申请的，申请人应当提出请求，经国
家知识产权局审批并办理相关手续后可以转为纸件申请。
第八条 申请人办理专利电子申请的各种手续的，对专利法及其实施细则或者
专利审查指南中规定的应当以原件形式提交的相关文件，申请人可以提交原件的电
子扫描文件。国家知识产权局认为必要时，可以要求申请人在指定期限内提交原
件。
申请人在提出专利电子申请时请求减缴或者缓缴专利法实施细则规定的各种费
用需要提交有关证明文件的，应当在提出专利申请时提交证明文件原件的电子扫描
文件。未提交电子扫描文件的，视为未提交有关证明文件。
第九条 采用电子文件形式向国家知识产权局提交的各种文件，以国家知识产
权局专利电子申请系统收到电子文件之日为递交日。
对于专利电子申请，国家知识产权局以电子文件形式向申请人发出的各种通知
书、决定或者其他文件，自文件发出之日起满 15 日，推定为申请人收到文件之 日。
第十条 专利法及其实施细则和专利审查指南中关于专利申请和相关文件的所
有规定，除专门针对以纸件形式提交的专利申请和相关文件的规定之外，均适用于
专利电子申请。
第十一条 本规定由国家知识产权局负责解释。
第十二条 本规定自 2010 年 10 月 1 日起施行。2004 年 2 月 12 日国家知识产权 局令第三十五号发布的《关于电子专利申请的规定》同时废止。