GENEVA - The 2007 edition of the Patent Report of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) shows that worldwide filings of patent applications have grown at an average annual rate of 4.7% with the highest growth rates experienced in North East Asian countries, particularly the Republic of Korea (ROK) and China.

According to a press release by WIPO, the report is based on 2005 figures, the last year for which complete worldwide statistics are available. It showed that patents granted worldwide have increased at an average annual rate of 3.6% with some 600,000 patents granted in 2005 alone. By the end of 2005, approximately 5.6 million patents were in force worldwide.

The largest recipients of patent filings are the patent offices of Japan, the United States of America, China, the ROK and the European Patent Office (EPO). These five offices account for 77% of all patents filed in 2005, (a 2% increase over 2004), representing 74% of all patents granted. With an increase of almost 33% over 2004, the patent office of China became the third recipient of patent filings in 2005.

Use of the international patent system has increased markedly in recent years and while it remains highly concentrated - 49% of the estimated 5.6 million patents in force are owned by applicants from Japan and the USA - there is evidence of increasing use of the system by newly industrializing nations.

“We have witnessed a significant increase in the use of the patent system internationally in recent years,” WIPO Director General Dr. Kamil Idris said.

“This is clearly one indicator of the level of inventiveness and innovation that is occurring around the world and signals those areas in which technological development is most pronounced,” he added.

“While the use of the system remains highly concentrated, we are seeing an historic evolution in the geography of innovation. With increased patenting activity in newly industrializing and emerging countries, we expect the pattern of ownership of patent rights worldwide will become more diversified over the coming years,” Idris noted.

“Information contained in patents and better analysis of data relating to patents is extremely valuable and for these reasons WIPO has enhanced its work relating to patent statistics,” he continued.

“The current report is the most comprehensive yet, including an analysis of patenting activity by field of technology as well as improved statistical data on patent processing and patent life cycles,” Idris pointed out.

The report reaffirms that the North East Asian region has significantly increased its share of worldwide patenting, both as a source of patent applications and as a target of non-resident patent applications from outside the region.

Patent filings by residents doubled in the ROK and increased by more than eight fold in China between 1995 and 2005. The patent office of China has the highest growth rate for resident (+42.1%) and non-resident (+23.6%) filings.

The report shows an increase in the use of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), a multilateral pact administered by WIPO which provides a simplified system for international patent filing. The number of PCT international applications increased by 7.9% from 2005 to 2006 to reach 147,500. At present, 137 countries have signed up to the PCT.

“The PCT has now become the major route for international patent filing and WIPO is fully committed to further enhancing the system to ensure that it remains the efficient and cost-effective option for the international filing of patent applications, ” WIPO Deputy Director General Francis Gurry said.

The report evokes the question of the incremental workload at certain patent offices which, in some cases, has increased faster than their capacity to examine patent applications. The USA had more than 900,000 patents pending in 2005.

Patent filings by residents increased by 6.6% in the period 2004 to 2005. The patent office of China experienced the highest growth rate in resident patent filings, increasing by 42.1% in 2005. This reflects the country’s commitment to becoming a hub of innovation.

The number of patent filings by non-residents - individuals who are requesting patents in foreign countries - in 2005 was 7.6% higher than in 2004. This points to the greater internationalization of commercial activity linked to technology, as well as increasing international competition in innovation. Significant increases in non-resident patent filings were seen in China, India, Mexico, the ROK and the Russian Federation. Some 600,000 patents were granted in 2005.

The largest number of patents was granted by the patent office of the USA, followed by the offices of Japan, the ROK (up 2 places from 2004), China (up 1 place from 2004) and the EPO.

In its analysis of patent trends around the world, the report reveals an increase in filings in the electricity and electronics sectors. Patent applications filed in these areas represented 32% of worldwide patent filings between 2000 and 2004.

source: ag-ip news