On September 18, an event launching patent pre-examination services for Macao innovators was held in the Guangdong–Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin. It marked the implementation of the Guangdong–Macao cross-border patent pre-examination mechanism and a breakthrough in aligning intellectual property rules, connecting services and advancing integration across the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area.
Attendees included officials from the Intellectual Property Protection Department of the China National Intellectual Property Administration, Guangdong's Administration for Market Regulation (Intellectual Property Administration), Macao's Economic and Technological Development Bureau, the Zhuhai Municipal Government, the Cooperation Zone's Executive Committee, Zhuhai's Administration for Market Regulation and the zone's Commercial Services Bureau. Representatives of innovators and other sectors in Macao, Zhuhai and the Cooperation Zone also attended, alongside mainland intellectual property service providers and industry organizations.
Responding to trends in Macao's four major industries and innovators' patent strategies, Guangdong and Macao promoted the inclusion of Macao innovators within Zhuhai's patent pre-examination services as part of Guangdong's 15th Five-Year Plan for economic and social development. In July 2026, the China National Intellectual Property Administration formally approved their inclusion in the services provided by the Zhuhai Intellectual Property Protection Center. The center began accepting Macao innovators on August 31. Several organizations, including the University of Macau and the Macau University of Science and Technology, have completed the first round of pre-examination registration. Four design patents in the first batch have already been granted, with the fastest taking just three days—over 90% faster than the ordinary process. Macao innovators can now access a mainland patent pre-examination fast track close to home, helping Macao's industries integrate more quickly into national development.
The zone's Hengqin–Macao Intellectual Property Service Window also opened that day. It provides nearby, one-stop, cross-border services covering the full intellectual property lifecycle. Its five core areas are cross-border services, pre-examination, comprehensive coverage, rights protection and commercialization. Online remote handling enables services including a patent pre-examination fast track, explanations of patent and trademark policies, coordinated rights protection across the two jurisdictions, and patent development and commercialization. By removing geographic barriers and reducing cross-border time and staffing costs, it supports a pathway of research in Macao, protection in Hengqin and commercialization in the Greater Bay Area. It addresses practical problems such as repeated trips between jurisdictions, unfamiliar rules and limited access to rights-protection channels.
The zone will also help Hengqin and Macao enterprises expand internationally. It will provide targeted guidance and early warnings in four areas—overseas expansion, risk management, international rights protection and policy adaptation—to strengthen their international intellectual property competitiveness.
The event marked both a milestone in Guangdong–Macao intellectual property cooperation and a practical step toward aligning rules and mechanisms across the Greater Bay Area. It establishes a stronger service connection for innovation resources and coordinated industrial development.
