Since human society entered the information age, the rapid development and widespread application of digital technologies have given rise to the digital economy. Distinct from the agricultural economy of the farming era and the industrial economy of the industrial age, the digital economy represents a new economic form, a novel driving force, and innovative business models, triggering profound transformations across society and economy. Currently, digital technologies, products, and services are not only accelerating their penetration into traditional industries through multiple directions, levels, and chains—termed industrial digitization—but also fostering the continuous growth of digital industrial chains and clusters, known as digital industrialization.
Today, the digital economy has become a new engine driving China's high-quality and rapid economic growth. Various new business models emerging from the digital economy will also serve as crucial new growth points for China's economy. To better support the innovative development of the digital economy, China introduced the Reference Relationship Table Between Core Digital Economy Industries Classification and International Patent Classification (2023) in March 2023. This document aligns the International Patent Classification (IPC) with the core digital economy industries classification, maximizing coverage of patents related to core digital economy industries while providing a clearer and more accurate foundation for constructing relevant patent databases.
Prior to the new standard, CnOpenData utilized the Statistical Classification of Digital Economy and Its Core Industries (2021) and patent classification codes mapped to national economic industry classifications as database construction guidelines. CnOpenData now adopts the new standard Reference Relationship Table Between Core Digital Economy Industries Classification and International Patent Classification (2023) as the foundational framework, and will release a series of regional and industry-specific statistical data on digital economy patents to provide academia with higher-quality and advanced thematic data support.
The CnOpenData China Digital Economy Patent Application and Authorization dataset is structurally divided into two tables: the Basic Information Table and the Transaction Information Table. The Basic Patent Information Table categorizes patents by three types (invention announcements, invention authorizations, utility models), each further subdivided into four sectors: Digital Product Manufacturing, Digital Product Services, Digital Technology Applications, and Digital Factor-Driven Industries.
Time Coverage
- Invention announcements: Statistics based on application announcement dates (1985-2024)
- Invention authorizations/Utility models/Designs: Statistics based on authorization announcement dates (1985-2024)
Field Display
Sample Data
Basic Information Table for Invention Announcements in Digital Product Manufacturing
Digital Economy Patent Transaction Table
Related Literature
- Huang, Bo; Li, Haitong; Liu, Junqi; Lei, Jinghua. 2023. "Digital Technology Innovation and High-Quality Development of Chinese Enterprises: Evidence from Enterprise Digital Patents," Economic Research Journal 3.
- Hu, Zengxi; Ma, Shuzhong. 2023. "The Impact of Market Integration on Enterprise Digital Innovation: With a Discussion on Digital Innovation Measurement Methods," Economic Research Journal 6.
- Huang, Xianhai; Gao, Yaxing. 2023. "Digital-Real Industry Technology Integration and Enterprise Total Factor Productivity: A Study Based on Chinese Enterprise Patent Information," China Industrial Economics 11.
- Huang, Xianhai; Wang, Handi; Sun, Yongming et al. "Digital Technology and Enterprise Export Quality Upgrading: Evidence from Machine Learning of Patent Texts," The Journal of Quantitative & Technical Economics 12.
Data Update Frequency
Annual Update