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12 December 2017Patents

Patent applications show dawn of fourth industrial revolution: EPO

A new study from the European Patent Office (EPO) has predicted that a fourth industrial revolution could be about to take place

Patents and the Fourth Industrial Revolution”, which was conducted in co-operation with Handelsblatt Research Institute, identified over 48,000 patent applications filed until the end of 2016.

It looked at the effect of the internet of things (IoT) on the so-called fourth industrial revolution, explaining that the aim of the study is to “analyse the innovation trends that signal the dawn of” the fourth industrial revolution.

According to the study, a new era of technological development characterised by digital transformation is rapidly gathering momentum—one which is frequently referred to as the fourth industrial revolution, or, in some regions, as industry 4.0.

“The massive deployment of the IoT is about to entice a fourth industrial revolution,” the study explained.

“By 2025, it is estimated that 26 to 30 billion devices in the home and workplace will be equipped with sensors, processors and embedded software, and connected to the IoT.”

More than 5,000 patent applications for inventions relating to autonomous objects were filed at the EPO in 2016 alone, and in the last three years, the rate of growth for fourth industrial revolution patent applications was 54%.

This far outpaces the overall growth of patent applications in the last three years, of 7.65%.

Worldwide, the EPO was leading the way in patent applications covering the fourth industrial revolution with 29% of applications worldwide, compared with 25% in the US and 17% in Japan.

However, Korea and China are “rapidly catching up”, having each seen over 5% growth in the last five years.

“Germany stands out in the application domains of vehicles, infrastructure and manufacturing, while France leads in enabling technologies such as artificial intelligence, security, user interfaces and 3D systems,” the study said.

At the EPO, Samsung led the way with fourth industrial revolution patent applications, as it filed 1,634 between 2011and 2016. The company was followed by LG with 1,125, Sony with 885 and Nokia with 640.

“During the last World Economic Forum in Davos, a particular focus was put on mapping trends in artificial intelligence technologies,” said EPO President Benoît Battistelli.

“In this regard, patent information is helping us obtain a better understanding of a subject that is currently capturing the imagination of business leaders, industry and the wider public.”

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25 January 2021   The so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution and the FRAND licensing landscape are leading to a significant growth in patent applications. Tom Furnival of Mewburn Ellis reports.