WIPO data reveal China tops global patent filings

China’s State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) has overtaken the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to become the most prolific patent office in the world, according to a report published by the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) on Tuesday.

This year’s World Intellectual Property Indicators report reveals that China received 526,412 patent applications in 2011. It is the first time in 100 years that the top spot has been occupied by a country other than the US, Germany or Japan.

The total number of patent applications filed worldwide exceeded two million last year, a 7.8 percent growth since 2010. Computer technology accounted for the majority of filings in 2011 and between 2006 and 2010, digital communications patents grew by an average of 8.1 percent.

Trademark applications also increased by 13.3 percent last year, reaching a record 4.2 million.

China, Brazil, the UK, Hong Kong and South Africa all reported a double-digit percentage growth in the number of trademark applications filed, and Germany, France, China and the US filed more than a million applications each. While most Chinese filings were domestic, the majority of German, French and US applications were filed abroad.

Commenting on the results, Francis Gurry, director general of WIPO, said in a statement: “Sustained growth in IP filings indicates that companies continue to despite weak economic conditions. This is good news, as it lays the foundation for the world economy to generate growth and prosperity in the future.”

To read the full report, click here.