The rapid growth of Chinese Industry is unparalleled in world history. China just recently surpassed Germany in terms of exports. To some, that may not be saying a lot. However, just last year, Germany was the world's leading exporter of goods and services, ahead of the United States. This makes China No. 1 in terms of exports and in export growth. Outside of exports, the economy of the People's Republic of China is the fourth largest in the world when measured by nominal Gross Domestic Product and is predicted to surpass Germany to assume third place in early 2008. On this measure, the US is still the world leader, yet able to boast having the largest consumer market. This of course will change too'it?s just a matter of time. Given that the life of a patent is 20 years from filing, you have to think long term when you think about where to file your patent applications. Within the scope of 20 years, almost every economist agrees that China will surpass all other nations in economic dominance. Therefore, obtaining a patent in China should be an important aspect of your overall intellectual property strategy. Beyond the usual problems associated with a young and developing legal environment, the biggest problem for those wishing to protect their ideas and trademarks in China is finding reliable, and skilled Chinese patent attorneys to do the work for you, to represent you before the Chinese Patent Office, and before the courts. Zheng Shengli, dean of the intellectual property law school of Peking University, has been quoted as saying in late October that by 2010, China may need 55,000 to 60,000 IP professionals and 30,000 more experts will be needed in the following decade. "The number of patent filings has been growing by 15 percent on average in the past three years," said Zheng. "China led the world in trademark numbers for three years in a row, and the number of copyright registrations also grew substantially, so without adding more hands, authorities will have difficulty handling the demands." The demand is not just from Western companies and individuals. As China's economy grows, so too will the internal demand for Chinese patent attorneys and IP professionals. Yes, China is becoming a global innovator, and is evolving away, albeit too slowly, from its copycat past. For example, China is taking the lead in the design and development of diesel engines. Just last week, China Yuchai International Limited , the leading manufacturer and distributor of diesel engines in China, announced its latest R&D innovation -- a hybrid diesel/electric engine, which has been widely recognized as a major technological development for energy conservation and emission reduction. "As China's economy continues to grow rapidly and shifts from manufacturing to one that is more innovation-based, it is becoming a hotbed of patent activity," said David Brown, Executive Vice President, Thomson Scientific. Consequently, as China's own enterprises begin to claw for the best and the brightest of China's IP talent, less and less will remain for the foreigner. The Costs of Protection in China Given the size of the market and the prospects for growth of that market over the life of a patent, obtaining Chinese patent protection is inexpensive. If a US or European patent application has already been written, it costs about $4500 to translate and file the same application in China. Obtaining copyright protection begins at about $500 per work. Chinese Trademarks can be had for about $2000 per mark.