1 April 2010Trademarks

International trademark filings suffer in global financial crisis, says WIPO

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) figures indicate that international trademark filings suffered during 2009 because of the global economic downturn.

Filings made under WIPO’s Madrid System of the International Registration of Marks dropped by 16 percent in 2009.

Trademark filings are a “leading indicator” of economic events, said Francis Gurry during a press conference. Gurry is director general at WIPO.

WIPO has tracked the decline of trademarks registered around the world, he said. Registrations started to decline halfway through 2007, which was an early indicator of a difficult 2008, before the 16 percent drop in 2009.

Trademark applications are generally made for new products or companies, said Gurry, so times of economic depression tend to signal a noticeable decline in the number of applications.

Promising signs may be seen in the figures for Japan and the European Union (EU). The EU saw a 3.1 percent rise in international trademark applications, while Japan’s increased by 2.7 percent.

Gurry said: “Japan is an interesting case. With respect to international patent applications, there was also a rise last year in Japan despite the extremely difficult economic conditions in [the country]. So once again, it’s an indication of how much emphasis is placed on innovation by Japanese industry and companies.”

China ranks top as the most designated country in 2009, with 14,766 designations. These statistics show in which markets companies are interested in doing business, said Gurry.

He said: “It means that when [companies] apply for trademarks and they want coverage around the world, they often go to China. It is the most designated place where they seek protection.”

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