Abstract:  In this paper, we build up the international innovation protection network by using patent data between countries released from World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). And we focus on the structural characteristics of the network and China’s position in this network. The results show that international innovation protection network shows obvious characteristics of a small world network and “core-peripheral” structure. China’s position and control are gradually enhanced in the network, but it still lags behind the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, and other developed countries in in-degree, betweenness centrality and PageRank centrality, having only higher ranking in out-degree. That means China’s innovation ability is still insufficient, and its voice and influence still need to be further improved in the international innovation protection network.

Key words: international innovation protection network, patent application, network centricity, network position