Since the entry of human society into the information age, the rapid advancement and widespread application of digital technologies have given rise to the digital economy. Unlike the agricultural economy of the farming era and the industrial economy of the industrial era, the digital economy represents a new form of economy, a new driving force, and a new industry category, triggering profound transformations across both society and the economy. At the current stage, digital technologies, goods, and services are not only accelerating their penetration into traditional industries across multiple directions, levels, and chains—known as industrial digitalization—but are also propelling the continuous development and expansion of digital industrial chains and clusters—known as digital industrialization.
Currently, the digital economy has become a new engine driving China's high-quality and rapid economic growth. The various new business models catalyzed by the digital economy will also become significant new growth points in China's economy. To better support the innovative development within the digital economy, China published the Correspondence Table Between Core Industries of the Digital Economy and International Patent Classification (2023) in March 2023. This document establishes correspondences between the International Patent Classification (IPC) and the classification of core industries in the digital economy. It provides maximum coverage of patents relevant to the core industries of the digital economy and offers a clearer, more accurate foundation for building related patent databases.
Prior to the release of the new standard, CnOpenData based its database construction on the correspondence between the Statistical Classification of the Digital Economy and Its Core Industries (2021) and patent classification codes associated with the national economic industry classification standards as guiding documents. Now, CnOpenData utilizes the new standard Correspondence Table Between Core Industries of the Digital Economy and International Patent Classification (2023) as the primary basis for database construction. CnOpenData will also introduce a series of data related to digital economy patents, including regional and industry-specific statistics, aiming to provide academia with higher quality and more advanced specialized data support for the digital economy.
CnOpenData's data on patent applications and authorizations for China's digital economy is structurally divided into two tables: the Basic Information Table and the Transaction Information Table. The Patent Basic Information Table is segmented according to three patent types (Invention Publication, Invention Grant, and Utility Model) and further subdivided into four tables covering: Digital Products Manufacturing Industry, Digital Products Service Industry, Digital Technology Application Industry, and Digital Factor-Driven Industry.
Database Application Guide
Application Logic Tutorial for CnOpenData China Digital Economy Patent Application & Authorization Data: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/7MzrJsUYbgs6Ls2eq5eqcQ
Time Period
- Invention Publications: Statistics based on Application Publication Date: 1985-2024
- Invention Grants / Utility Models / Design Patents: Statistics based on Grant Publication Date: 1985-2024
Field Display
Sample Data
Basic Information Table for Invention Publication of Digital Products Manufacturing Industry
Digital Economy Patent Transaction Table
Relevant Literature
- HUANG Bo, LI Haitong, LIU Junqi, LEI Jinghua, 2023: "Digital Technology Innovation and High-Quality Development of Chinese Enterprises: Evidence from Firms’ Digital Patents," Economic Research Journal, No.3.
- HU Zengxi, MA Shuzhong, 2023: "The Impact of Market Integration on Firms' Digital Innovation – Also on the Measurement of Digital Innovation," Economic Research Journal, No.6.
- HUANG Xianhai, GAO Yaxing, 2023: "Integration of Digital and Real Industry Technologies and Enterprise Total Factor Productivity – A Study Based on Chinese Enterprises' Patent Information," China Industrial Economics, No.11.
- HUANG Xianhai, WANG Handi, SUN Yongming et al., "Digital Technology and Export Quality Upgrading of Enterprises – Evidence from Machine Learning of Patent Texts," The Journal of Quantitative & Technical Economics, No.12.
Data Update Frequency
Updated annually