China-based Huawei Technologies, Samsung Electronics of the Republic of Korea and the U.S.’s Qualcomm were the world’s top users in 2023 of WIPO’s international patent system and innovators in India increased their patent filing activity by nearly 50%, even as demand for international registrations of intellectual property (IP) via WIPO softened slightly.
Innovators around the world have filed thousands of patent applications for new technologies to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, with the vast majority of the envisioned products related to therapies to help stricken patients, a new WIPO report shows.
Demand for patent protection continued to grow in 2022, with innovators in China, the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Germany leading in filings under WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) which simplifies the process of seeking patent protection in multiple countries.
Four of the world’s five biggest science and technology clusters are located in East Asia – one in Japan, two in China, one in Republic of Korea and the fifth in the United States – according to an early release from the 2022 edition of WIPO’s Global Innovation Index (GII).
Innovation in transport-related hydrogen fuel cell technology has boomed since 2016, with China, Japan and Germany the top sources of patent applications for the technology that can power vehicles without creating emissions that contribute to global climate change, a new WIPO report shows.
Innovators filed record numbers of international patent applications via WIPO in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic’s vast human and economic toll, with leading users China and the U.S. each marking annual growth in filings despite the worldwide spread of the coronavirus.
The WIPO Pearl terminology database has added some 1,500 new COVID-19-related terms in 10 languages, helping innovators targeting new coronavirus treatments and diagnostics with a baseline set of terms and their multilingual equivalents. This advancement will foster international collaboration and promote easier access to information in patent documents and other public resources produced around the world.
Innovation in environmentally friendly technologies as measured by international patent applications barely rose in 2019, according to new WIPO figures released for World Intellectual Property Day 2020, prompting a call from WIPO Director General Francis Gurry for a green tech surge to fight climate change.
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) today unveiled a new online dashboard that allows member state representatives and other stakeholders to monitor the Organization's operations during the Covid-19 pandemic.
China in 2019 surpassed the United States of America (U.S.) as the top source of international patent applications filed with WIPO amid another year of robust growth for the Organization’s international intellectual property (IP) services, treaty-adherence activity and revenue base.
The 2019 edition of WIPO’s World Intellectual Property Report analyzed millions of patent and scientific publication records across several decades to conclude that innovative activity has grown increasingly collaborative and transnational, while originating in a few large clusters located in a small number of countries.
Asia accounted for more than two-thirds of all patent, trademark and industrial design applications in 2018, with China driving overall growth in demand for intellectual property (IP) rights as the United States of America (U.S.) maintained its primacy in patent applications filed in export markets.
Asia-based innovators filed more than half of all international patent applications via WIPO for the first time in 2018 on significant growth from China, India and the Republic of Korea, capping another record-setting year for WIPO’s global intellectual property (IP) services.
A new WIPO flagship study has documented a massive recent surge in artificial intelligence-based inventions, with U.S.-based companies IBM and Microsoft leading the pack as AI has moved from the theoretical realm toward the global marketplace in recent years.
Worldwide demand for intellectual property (IP) tools reached record heights in 2017, with China driving the growth in filings for patents, trademarks, industrial designs and other IP rights that are at the heart of the global economy.
The Republic of Korea is adopting WIPO’s ground-breaking “artificial intelligence”-based translation tool for patent documents, making it the first member state to use WIPO Translate in an important advancement for the use of machine learning in the technology-heavy patent sector.
China moved into the second position as a source of international patent applications filed via WIPO in 2017, closing in on long-time leader United States of America, in another record year in the use of WIPO's intellectual property services for patents, trademarks and industrial designs.
Worldwide filings for patents, trademarks and industrial designs reached record heights in 2016 amid soaring demand in China, which received more patent applications than the combined total for the United States of America, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the European Patent Office.
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the research-based pharmaceutical industry today launched a new partnership to promote the accessibility of patent information for health agencies tasked with procurement of medicines.
WIPO’s ground-breaking “artificial intelligence”-based translation tool for patent documents is now available in ten languages, marking an important expansion of the highest-quality service yet available for accessing information on new technologies.
China’s ZTE Corporation overtook its crosstown rival Huawei Technologies as the biggest filer of international patent applications via WIPO in 2016 and U.S.-based Qualcomm Inc. claimed third position amid another year of strong demand for WIPO’s intellectual property filing services for patents, trademarks and industrial designs.
WIPO today launched the multilingual interface of ePCT, marking a major expansion of its global gateway for online filing and management of international patent applications.
Three telecoms giants from China and the United States led international patent filing activity via WIPO in 2014, a fifth consecutive record-breaking year amid overall growth in the Organization’s global intellectual property services.
Global patent filings extended a run of strong annual increases in 2013, underpinned by double-digit growth in China where about a third of the world’s 2.6 million patent applications were filed, followed by the United States of America (US) and Japan as the next-largest recipients.
Through its web-based interface, WIPO Pearl promotes accurate and consistent use of terms across different languages, and makes it easier to search and share scientific and technical knowledge.
The United States of America and China drove record-level patent-filing activity via WIPO in 2013 as the number of annual international patent applications surpassed the 200,000 mark for the first time. International trademark and industrial-design filings also achieved new record-breaking levels.
A new WIPO report shows that in 2012 global patent filings increased at its strongest rate in nearly two decades as industrial-design registration notched its best-ever rate of growth. Intellectual property (IP) filings have sharply rebounded since a 2009 decline at the height of the financial crisis.
WIPO has added China’s national patent collection to the searchable PATENTSCOPE database, pushing the service past the 30 million record mark and increasing it to 34 national and regional patent collections, giving users an unrivalled geographical diversity of fully-searchable data.
The addition, this month, of over ten million documents from the national patent collection of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), dating from 1790 to the present day, has expanded WIPO’s PATENTSCOPE to over 28 million searchable patent documents. The PATENTSCOPE search service is a valuable technical resource that provides access to information about new technologies which are often disclosed for the first time as international patent applications.
International filings for patents, trademarks and industrial designs under WIPO-administered intellectual property (IP) systems saw continued strong growth in 2012.
A new WIPO report shows that while the global economy continued to underperform, intellectual property (IP) filings worldwide kept growing strongly in 2011. It also finds that China’s patent office became the largest in the world, as measured by the number of patent applications received. Before 2011, China already accounted for most filings of utility models (UMs), trademarks and industrial designs.
The two millionth international patent application under WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) was filed recently by U.S.-based mobile technology company Qualcomm.
International patent filings under WIPO's Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) increased by 4.8% in 2010, with strong growth from China (+56.2%), the Republic of Korea (+20.5%), and Japan (+7.9%), offsetting a mixed performance in European countries and a continued decline in the United States (-1.7%).
The WIPO Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP) agreed on late Friday at the close of its week-long session from October 11-15, 2010 to include a number of key substantive issues relating to patent law and practice in its future work. Delegations from 86 countries, 5 international organizations and 25 non-governmental organizations participated in the session of the Committee, which was characterized by a very positive and constructive atmosphere among member states that resulted in significant progress in the Organization’s substantive agenda with respect to the further development of the international patent system.
A new public-private partnership which aims to provide industrial property offices, universities and research institutes in least developed countries with free access, and similar institutions in certain developing countries with low cost access, to advanced tools and services for retrieving and analyzing patent data was launched at WIPO’s headquarters on September 17, 2010. This will support these countries in effectively leveraging the valuable information contained in patent documents to facilitate technological innovation and economic development.
WIPO launched on September 16, 2010 an on-line tool that is linked to its International Patent Classification (IPC) system to facilitate searches for patent information relating to environmentally sound technologies (ESTs). This will help to help in identifying existing and emerging green technologies, as well as potential partners for further R&D and commercial exploitation.
Member states of WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) – a cost-effective mechanism that facilitates the process of obtaining international patent protection – endorsed a series of recommendations to enhance the PCT’s contribution in improving the quality of granted patents and to make the international patent system more useful to developing countries. This came at the end of a round of discussions by PCT member states within the context of the PCT Working Group from June 14 to 18, 2010.
International patent filings under WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) fell by 4.5% in 2009 with sharper than average declines experienced by some industrialized countries and growth in a number of East Asian countries. Provisional data indicates that 155,900 (annex 1) international patent applications were filed in 2009 as compared to the nearly 164,000 applications filed in 2008.
WIPO Director General Francis Gurry participated on December 16, 2009 in a series of events related to international climate talks in Copenhagen and outlined how WIPO can contribute to international efforts to mitigate climate change. Mr. Gurry underlined that policies that stimulate the creation and diffusion of technology are key elements in developing an effective and practical global response to the threats posed by climate change. He said judicious use of the intellectual property (IP) system can make a positive contribution in crafting the many and diverse technological solutions needed to attenuate the impacts of climate change.
WIPO has launched an enhanced online patent information service that will improve public access to information on patents filed and granted around the world. WIPO’s PATENTSCOPE®, which currently hosts data on more than 1.6 million international patent applications filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), has been extended to include several collections of national and regional patent information.
Thailand’s Deputy Minister of Commerce, Mr. Alondkorn Ponlaboot, on September 24, 2009 deposited his country’s instrument of accession to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) with WIPO Director General Francis Gurry. Thailand is the 142nd contracting state of this multilateral pact that facilitates the filing of patents in multiple countries. The treaty will enter into force for Thailand on December 24, 2009.
On the sidelines of the ministerial segment of the WIPO’s Assemblies, Kenya’s Minister of Industrialization, Mr. Henry K. Kosgey, and the Director General of WIPO, Mr Francis Gurry, signed a cooperation agreement covering access to and dissemination of national patent documents. This is the latest in a series of agreements between WIPO and intellectual property offices of developing countries to enhance access to patent information. Similar agreements exist with ARIPO, Brazil, Cuba, Israel, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Republic of Korea, Singapore, South Africa, and Vietnam.
A two-day international symposium concluded on September 18, 2009 with broad agreement on the need to pool efforts at the international level to address the problem of backlogs in patent applications.
A new public-private partnership which aims to provide industrial property offices, universities and research institutes in least developed countries with free access and industrial property offices in certain developing countries with low cost access to selected online scientific and technical journals was launched at WIPO’s headquarters on July 23, 2009.
The WIPO Conference on Intellectual Property and Public Policy Issues wrapped up on July 14, 2009 with an acknowledgement of the ability of intellectual property (IP) to drive innovation, creativity and transfer of technology, while recognizing the need to ensure that the IP system produces social and economic benefit. Dialogue and collaboration between major stakeholders – international organizations, government, industry, and civil society – is necessary to address these questions.
The WIPO Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP) agreed late Friday at the close of its week-long session from March 23 to 27, 2009, on a range of work items that will continue to clarify and focus attention on key substantive issues relating to patent law and practice. Delegations from 103 countries, 10 international organizations and 28 non-governmental organizations participated in the Committee which was chaired by Mr. Maximiliano Santa Cruz from Chile.
A committee of international experts meeting at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva from March 16 to 20, 2009 agreed to simplify the structure of the international system for classifying patents. Reform of the system, known as the International Patent Classification (IPC) system, will ensure more consistent search results and their wider use by industrial property offices.
Peru became the 141st contracting state of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) when it deposited its instrument of accession at WIPO on March 6, 2009. The Treaty will enter into force for Peru on June 6, 2009.
Chile became the 140th contracting state of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) when it deposited its instrument of accession at WIPO on March 2, 2009. The Treaty will enter into force for Chile on June 2, 2009.
International patent filings under WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) grew by 2.4% in 2008, to nearly 164,000 applications. While the rate of growth was modest, as compared to an average 9.3% rate of growth in the previous three years, the total number of applications for 2008 represents the highest number of applications received under the PCT in a single year.
Increased patent filings in North East Asian countries (mainly China and the Republic of Korea (ROK)) and the United States of America (USA) drove growth in worldwide filing of patent applications, which topped 1.76 million in 2006, representing a 4.9% increase over 2005, according to the 2008 edition of the Patent Report of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
On August 26, 2008, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is organizing under its Life Sciences Program a Symposium that will explore intellectual property (IP) rights and their role in the development and transfer of technologies within the context of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). Many MEAs contain technology transfer provisions around which IP issues arise. The event will provide an opportunity for policy makers and other stakeholders to share their experiences and to explore the IP dimensions of technology transfer provisions contained in MEAs.
From July 3, 2008, the wealth of technological information contained in international patent applications, a prime vector for technology transfer and innovation promotion, will also be searchable in Japanese. The addition of Japanese as a search language is a result of further improvements made by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to its online search service, PATENTSCOPE®, a gateway to over 1.4 million Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications. Japanese is the sixth language in which full-text data search is possible, along with English, French, German, Spanish and Russian.
Sao Tome and Principe became the 139th contracting state of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) when it deposited its instrument of accession at WIPO on April 3, 2008. The Treaty will enter into force for Sao Tome and Principe on July 3, 2008.
The fourth in a series of public symposia on intellectual property as it relates to the life sciences will take place on April 7 and 8, 2008 at the Geneva headquarters of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and will address how patent landscaping may be used within the life sciences for public policy purposes. The event is taking place within the context of a cooperation program between the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and WIPO on patent landscaping for policy makers.
In a year that saw a record number of filings under the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), the cornerstone of the international patent system, inventors from the Republic of Korea (4th place) and China (7th) consolidated their top ten position in 2007, along with the United States of America (1st) , Japan (2nd), Germany (3rd), France (5th), United Kingdom (6th), Netherlands (8th), Switzerland (9th) and Sweden (10th). In total, a record 156,100 applications were filed in 2007, representing a 4.7% rate of growth over the previous year. For the fourth year running, the most notable growth rates came from countries in north east Asia which accounted for over a quarter (25.8%) of all international applications under the PCT.
On Tuesday, November 6, 2007, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) will host, at its Geneva headquarters, the sixth in a series of colloquia on various aspects of the patent system to provide information on different patent-related topics and facilitate exchange of information among stakeholders. This colloquium will look at the role of patents in promoting the transfer of technology. Details of previous colloquia are available at http://www.wipo.int/patent/colloquia/en/.
Angola became the 138th contracting state of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) when it deposited its instrument of accession at WIPO on September 27, 2007. The Treaty will enter into force for Angola on December 27, 2007.
A cooperation plan between the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) was signed on October 2 with a view to promoting the exchange and use of patent information for business development, especially among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This took place on the sidelines of the annual meetings of WIPO Assemblies from September 24 to October 3, 2007.
The 2007 edition of the Patent Report of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) (http://www.wipo.int/ipstats/en/statistics/patents/patent_report_2007.html) shows that worldwide filings of patent applications have grown at an average annual rate of 4.7% with the highest growth rates experienced in North East Asian countries, particularly the Republic of Korea (ROK) and China. The report is based on 2005 figures, the last year for which complete worldwide statistics are available. It showed that patents granted worldwide have increased at an average annual rate of 3.6% with some 600,000 patents granted in 2005 alone. By the end of 2005, approximately 5.6 million patents were in force worldwide.
The State Intellectual Property Office of China (SIPO) became on May 1, 2007, the most recent office to introduce software that enables electronic filing of international patent applications under the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), the cornerstone of the international patent system which offers a rapid, flexible and cost-effective way to obtain patent protection in up to 137 countries.
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) have committed to strengthening cooperation in intellectual property (IP) education and human resource development in an agreement finalized this month.
The Dominican Republic became the 137th contracting state of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) when it deposited its instrument of accession at WIPO on February 28, 2007. The Treaty will enter into force for the Dominican Republic on May 28, 2007.
On Friday, February 16, 2007, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is hosting the third in a series of colloquia on patents that is scheduled to take place between October 2006 and September 2007 at its headquarters in Geneva. The third is entitled "Flexibilities in the Patent System."
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), the cornerstone of the international patent system, has since it began in 1978, seen continuous growth with a record 145,300 applications filed in 2006, representing a 6.4% growth over the previous year.
Bahrain became the 136 th contracting state of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) when it deposited its instrument of accession at WIPO on December 18, 2006. The Treaty will enter into force for Bahrain on March 18, 2007.
Malta became the 134 rd contracting state of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) when it deposited its instrument of accession at WIPO on December 1, 2006.
On Wednesday, November 29, 2006, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is hosting the second in a series of colloquia on patents that is scheduled to take place between October 2006 and September 2007 at its headquarters in Geneva. The second colloquium is on the subject of "Standards and Patents."
Applicants in a number of countries are now able to file an international patent application electronically through their national or regional patent office.
A report released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on Monday, October 16, 2006, shows that the patent system is an integral part of increasing global economic activity, with the increase in patent filings closely mirroring economic growth around the world.
Malaysia and El Salvador became the 131st and 132nd contracting states of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) when they deposited their instruments of accession at WIPO on May 16, 2006 and May 17, 2006, respectively. The Treaty will enter into force for Malaysia on August 16, 2006, and for El Salvador on August 17, 2006.
The Lao People's Democratic Republic and Honduras became the 129th and 130th contracting states of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) when they deposited their instruments of accession at WIPO on March 14, 2006 and March 20, 2006, respectively. The Treaty will enter into force for the Lao People's Democratic Republic on June 14, 2006, and for Honduras on June 20, 2006.
Member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) met at an informal session of the Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP) in Geneva from April 10 to 12, 2006 to consider a work program for the Committee. Following the holding of an Open Forum on the draft Substantive Patent Law Treaty (SPLT), held from March 1 to 3, 2006, this meeting was the second part of a procedure decided by WIPO member states at the 2005 WIPO General Assembly to establish a work program for the SCP.
The wealth of technological information contained in international patent applications, a prime vector for technology transfer and innovation promotion, will be more easily accessible as a result of improvements made by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to its online database, PatentScope ( http://www.wipo.int/patentscope/). The upgrade will go live on April 6, 2006.
Questions relating to a broad range of patent issues including, in particular, the harmonization of substantive patent law will be discussed at an open forum hosted by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva from March 1 to 3, 2006. The forum follows up on a decision by the WIPO General Assembly in autumn 2005 relating to the establishment of a work plan for the Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP) in respect of the draft Substantive Patent Law Treaty (SPLT).
In a year that saw a record number of international patent filings, the Republic of Korea overtook the Netherlands as the 6th biggest user of the World Intellectual Property Organization's (WIPO) Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and China dislodged Canada, Italy and Australia to take the position of 10th largest PCT user. ...
Member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) agreed today on a work plan for talks on the draft Substantive Patent Law Treaty (SPLT) which aims to simplify and achieve greater convergence among national and regional patent laws and practices. The draft SPLT covers a range of basic legal principles that govern the grant and validity of patents in different countries.
A new, updated edition of an international system designed to facilitate search and retrieval of patent information in all fields of technology is now available in English and French language versions on the website of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) (www.wipo.int/classifications/ipc).
Saint Kitts and Nevis became the 128th Contracting State of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) when it deposited its instrument of accession at WIPO on July 27, 2005. The Treaty will enter into force for Saint Kitts and Nevis on October 27, 2005.
International patent applications filed under the World Intellectual Property Organization's Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and received from the PCT receiving offices in the Republic of Korea and Finland will now be processed in a fully electronic manner. This step represents a significant advance over the partial electronic funtionality already in operation within the PCT following the introduction of electronic filing of international patent applications under the PCT at the European Patent Office, Japan and a number of other offices. WIPO will gradually deploy full electronic processing of applications received from other PCT receiving offices in the coming months.
"Inventions and Patents" is the first in a new series of publications about intellectual property (IP) for school children as the creators of our future (available at http://wipo.int/freepublications/en/patents/925/wipo_pub_925.PDF). The publication is part of efforts by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) - in response to numerous requests from member states - to provide practical and detailed IP curriculum materials for use in classrooms around the world.
Entrepreneurs, inventors and small and medium-sized businesses can now consult a World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) publication that explains, in practical terms, using concrete examples, how patents can be used to further strategic business goals. The guide, entitled "Inventing the Future: An Introduction to Patents for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises," is the third in the "Intellectual Property for Business" series.
The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya became the 127th Contracting State of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) when it deposited its instrument of accession at WIPO on June 15, 2005. The Treaty will enter into force for the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya on September 15, 2005.
Member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) met in Geneva on June 1-3, 2005, to discuss the future work the Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP) in respect of the international harmonization of substantive patent law. The Committee was attended by representatives from 80 member states, 7 intergovernmental organizations and 21 non-governmental organizations.
In the same year that the international patent system marked the filing of the one millionth international patent application, a record number of applications, just over 120,000, were filed in 2004 using the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The United States of America continued to top the list of largest users, but the biggest rates of growth came from the Asian continent - namely, Japan, the Republic of Korea and China. The PCT is the cornerstone of the international patent system and offers a rapid, flexible and cost-effective way to obtain patent protection in the 126 countries that have signed up to the system.
A committee of international experts meeting at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva from February 14 to 18, 2005, endorsed a series of reforms of an international system for classifying patents which promises to significantly reduce the patent search workload of industrial property offices of WIPO member states by providing tools for easier and more efficient retrieval and delivery of patent-related information. Reform of the system, known as the International Patent Classification (IPC) system, will ensure consistent search results and their mutual recognition by industrial property offices.
The Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Dr. Kamil Idris, expressed satisfaction this week at the outcome of informal consultations on the future work of WIPO's Standing Committee on Patents, which is working to build consensus on a treaty that seeks to harmonize patent laws around the world. Following a decision by WIPO member states in autumn 2004, the Director General of WIPO convened informal consultations concerning future sessions of the Standing Committee of Patents (SCP) in Casablanca, Morocco, on February 16, 2005.
Nigeria became the 126th Contracting State of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) when it deposited its instrument of accession at WIPO on February 8, 2005. The Treaty will enter into force for Nigeria on May 8, 2005.
The Comoros became the 125th Contracting State of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) when it deposited its instrument of accession at WIPO on January 3, 2005. The Treaty will enter into force for the Comoros on April 3, 2005.
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) paid tribute on Friday to the world's innovators on the occasion of the filing of the one millionth international patent application under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). WIPO Director General, Dr. Kamil Idris, welcomed this milestone in the 26-year history of the PCT, noting that it reflected a remarkable acceleration in the pace of technological progress.
San Marino became the 124th Contracting State of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) when it deposited its instrument of accession at WIPO on September 14, 2004. The Treaty will enter into force for San Marino on December 14, 2004.
On an official visit to Tokyo on May 25 and 26, 2004, the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Dr. Kamil Idris, participated in a number of high-level events to mark the 100th anniversary of the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation (JIII). Dr. Idris also held a number of bilateral meetings with top officials, including Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
Member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) met in Geneva from May 10 to 14, 2004, to discuss future directions for international harmonization of substantive patent law and to review provisions of a draft Substantive Patent Law Treaty (SPLT). The Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP) was attended by representatives from 71 member states, 7 intergovernmental organizations and 27 non-governmental organizations.
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has presented two awards to inventors at the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions as part of the Organization's commitment to promoting innovation and recognition of inventors worldwide. The distinctions were presented to the best invention by a woman and the best invention by a national from a developing country. This is the twenty-fifth consecutive year in which WIPO has presented awards at the Geneva fair.
The number of international patent applications filed in 2003 using the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), exceeded 110,000 for the third consecutive year, with users from the United States of America topping the list. Applicants from Japan clinched the second place over Germany, for the first time in over a decade. The PCT is the cornerstone of the international patent system and offers a rapid, flexible and cost-effective route to obtain patent protection in the 123 countries that have signed up to the system.
Companies and inventors seeking patent protection in multiple countries will, from February 12, 2004, have the possibility to electronically file their international application under the World Intellectual Property Organization's (WIPO) Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) with WIPO as receiving office.
As of January 1, 2004, the first critical steps in seeking patent protection in multiple countries will be easier as a result of reforms to the international patent filing system. A series of reforms to the World Intellectual Property Organization's (WIPO) Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), ranging from a new simplified system of designating countries in which patent protection is sought to an enhanced search and preliminary examination system, will simplify the complex procedure of obtaining patent protection in several countries.
Namibia became the 123rd Contracting State of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) when it deposited its instrument of accession at WIPO on October 1, 2003. The Treaty will enter into force for Namibia on January 1, 2004.
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Trilateral Offices - the European Patent Office (EPO), the Japan Patent Office (JPO), and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) - have agreed to reinforce collaboration to ensure delivery of more efficient services to users and to promote the benefits of the patent system.
At the conclusion this week of the first public conference on the use of patent statistics to analyze economic and technological trends hosted by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Organization pledged to boost its activities relating to patent statistics. WIPO also announced the development of a web portal for patent statistics with links to institutions with long-standing experience in generating information in this area.
Dutch electronics giant Philips (Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.) became the first this week to file a fully electronic international application under the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) with WIPO as receiving office using PCT-SAFE ("Secure Applications Filed Electronically") software.
Botswana became the 122nd Contracting State of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) when it deposited its instrument of accession at WIPO on July 30, 2003. The Treaty will enter into force for Botswana on October 30, 2003.
Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) attending a meeting of the Working Group on the International Patent Classification (IPC) Revision Working Group in Geneva from June 4 to 13, 2003, agreed to incorporate additional classifications schemes for traditional knowledge based inventions and business methods patents into an international system designed to facilitate search and retrieval of patent information in all fields of technology.
Egypt became the 121st contracting state of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) when it deposited its instrument of ratification at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on June 6, 2003. The Treaty will enter into force for Egypt on September 6, 2003.
The Syrian Arab Republic became the 120th Contracting State of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) when it deposited its instrument of ratification at WIPO on March 26, 2003. The Treaty will enter into force for the Syrian Arab Republic on June 26, 2003.
Papua New Guinea became the 119th Contracting State of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) when it deposited its instrument of accession at WIPO on March 14, 2003. The Treaty will enter into force for Papua New Guinea on June 14, 2003.
For the second consecutive year, the number of international applications received by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) under the international filing system that facilitates the process of obtaining patents in multiple countries has exceeded the 100,000 mark in a single year.
Nicaragua became the 118th Contracting State of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) when it deposited its instrument of accession at WIPO on December 6, 2002. The Treaty will enter into force for Nicaragua on March 6, 2003.
A number of measures designed to further streamline and simplify the international patent application filing system under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) were approved by members of the PCT governing body, the PCT Assembly, at its annual session held in Geneva from September 23 to October 1, 2002. The PCT is an international treaty which facilitates the process of obtaining patents in up to 117 countries.
Seychelles became the 117th Contracting State of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) when it deposited its instrument of accession at WIPO on August 7, 2002. The Treaty will enter into force for Seychelles on November 7, 2002.
Reform of the World Intellectual Property Organization's (WIPO) Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), an international filing mechanism that facilitates the process of obtaining patent protection in as many as 116 countries, moved ahead last week with the approval, by the Committee on Reform of the PCT, of a set of measures that will simplify and streamline the system's procedures.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines became the 116th Contracting State of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) when it deposited its instrument of accession at WIPO on May 6, 2002. The Treaty will enter into force for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on August 6, 2002.
An unprecedented number of applications were received by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2001 under an international filing system that facilitates the process of obtaining patents in multiple countries. Nearly 104,000 international applications were filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), representing a 14.3% increase on the number received in 2000.