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6 March 2014Patents

Samsung tops EPO patent filings list

Samsung filed the most patents at the European Patent Office (EPO) last year; a record year for applications.

The South Korea-based technology business topped the list of companies with 2,833 applications.

The office granted 66,700 patents, its highest number ever, and received 266,000 applications, up from 258,000 the previous year.

The overall figures, released in full today, March 6, following a preview in January, represent a 2.8 percent jump from the filings in 2012.

Despite Samsung having filed the most applications, five of the top 10 patent filers hailed from European shores, including three German companies.

Siemens was second, chemical company BASF was fifth and electronics company Robert Bosch took sixth spot.

UK technology company Philips finished third and Swedish mobile phone maker Ericsson propped up the top 10.

Also included in the top 10 were Japan-based Mitsubishi and US wireless technology company Qualcomm.

“Demand for patent protection in Europe is up for the fourth consecutive year," said EPO president Benoît Battistelli.

"This is proof that companies from around the world continue to see Europe more and more as a premier hub for innovation.

“The strong position of European companies in patent-intense technologies also underlines the central role these industry sectors play in generating employment and growth in the EU economy," he said.

Around 35 percent of total applications came from the EPO’s 38 member states, followed by the US, Japan, China and South Korea.

Accounting for around 12 percent, Germany was Europe’s top filer, while France and Switzerland took the next two spaces.

Despite leading the way in nine of the office’s top 10 technical fields, European filers lagged behind the US for computer-related technology, which was responsible for 34 percent of applications.

Japan was strong in the electrical machinery industry, with 25 percent of applications, while China was the biggest filer of patents in the digital communication sector at 15 percent.

Filings were up five percent in computer technology and transport. However, the pharmaceutical industry saw a 14 percent drop and biotechnology a four percent decrease.

Although 65.5 percent of the applicants were large companies, 29 percent were small and medium-sized enterprises and individual inventors.

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