In the transition from “made in China” to “invented in China,” what is the motivation of Chinese firms in applying for patents? Why do some firms bypass patents? How is patenting developing within Chinese firms? This paper attempts to answer these questions using data of Chinese firms in the Yangtze River Delta region.Results indicate that,for product innovation,obtaining the lead time for market entry is of top priority in innovation protection,followed by confidentiality and patent protection.As for process innovation,confidentiality ranks first,followed by patent protection and obtaining the lead time.There is a significant and positive relationship between prior experience of patent licensing and possibility of future patent licensing.Firms with painful patent litigation experience tend to avoid it in the future.It is also found that there are great differences in patent behaviors between Chinese enterprises and their foreign counterparts.