Global patent filing growth slowed in 2017: WIPO report
The number of patents filed globally in 2017 increased by nearly 6% year-on-year, according to an annual study published today, but this figure is down on the 8% growth rate reported in last year’s edition.
The 2017 filing figures are contained in the “World Intellectual Property Indicators 2018”, published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Patent filings totalled 3.17 million in 2017, marking the eighth successive yearly increase. Applicants filed 9.11 million trademarks, nearly 27% more than in 2016, with this growth figure trumping the equivalent 16.4% rise reported last year.
China remains the main driver of the increased activity, with trademark filings jumping more than 55% and patent filings rising by just over 14%. These high growth rates propelled China’s shares of global patent and trademark activity to 43.6% and 46.3%, respectively, the report said.
The slowdown in patent growth may be in part attributed to the US and Japan, both of which recorded almost no growth in this area, despite achieving high increases in trademark activity (+24.2% for Japan and +12.6% for the US).
Despite the poor patent growth in the US and Japan, they still came second and third for patent filings, with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) receiving 606,956 applications and the Japan Patent Office taking 318,479. The China National Intellectual Property Administration received 1.38 million patent applications, more than double the number handled by the USPTO.
On the trademark front, WIPO noted that there are almost three times as many applications being filed around the world than in 2007, with filings having increased every year since then except for two years. Aside from highlighting China, WIPO singled out large increases in trademark filing activity in Iran (+87.9%), the UK (+24.1%) and Canada (+19.5%).
WIPO also reported that industrial design filings rose above 945,000, with the UK (+92.1%), Spain (+23.5%) and Switzerland (+17.9%) all seeing double-digit growth in 2017.
The special theme of this year’s report explores how to statistically capture patent litigation activity, WIPO said. It compared numerous characteristics of the major IP nations, including average duration of first instance cases, showing that China led the way with 6 to 18 months, followed by Korea on 10 to 18 months, and the Netherlands with one year.
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