10% Increase in International Patent Applications Filings in 2002

Geneva, February 18, 2003
Press Releases PR/2003/338

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. Nearly 115,000 applications were filed worldwide under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) in 2002, representing a 10% increase over the number received in 2001.

The number of such international applications received from developing countries rose from 680 in 1997 to 5,359 in 2002, representing an increase of nearly 700% in the use of the system by applicants from those countries. In 2002, the highest percentage increases by developing countries were recorded by India (51.9%), Mexico (19.6%), Singapore (18.8%) and the Republic of Korea (10.1%). Of the 118 Contracting States of the PCT, 64 are developing countries.

"Sustained growth in the use of the PCT system is a strong indication of the strategic importance of patents to business" Dr. Idris said. "Businesses, from multinationals to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), can benefit from accumulating IP assets, such as patents, to promote competition and create profitable business opportunities that provide jobs, job training, and human resource development, supply needed goods and services, and increase business and individual income." "The PCT offers businesses operating in overseas markets a simplified and cost-effective means of obtaining patent protection in multiple countries," he added. "Patents also facilitate technology transfer and investment through creation of a safe environment in which business and further research and development may be conducted," the Director General stated.

For the twelfth consecutive year, inventors and industry from United States of America (39.1% of all applications in 2002), Germany (13.4%), Japan (11.9%), the United Kingdom (5.5%) and France (4.3%), topped the list of biggest users of the system.

Top countries of origin

Of the above-mentioned countries, those which have shown the greatest increase in filings since 2001 were: the Netherlands (26.1%), Switzerland and Liechtenstein (22.8%), Japan (14.2%), Germany (12.1%) and the United States of America (11.5%).

The top ten firms filing the largest number of international patent applications in 2002 were (in descending order): Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V., Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Robert Bosch GmbH, Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Sony Corporation, Nokia Corporation, 3M Innovative Properties Company, Bayer Aktiengesellschaft, and The Procter & Gamble Company.

The main fields of technology to which the PCT applications published in 2002 related were physics, chemistry and metallurgy, and electricity. The table below shows the breakdown of PCT applications published in 2002 according to the eight main technical fields of the International Patent Classification (IPC).

For information on the specific contents of each main technical field, consult the IPC on the WIPO website at: https://www.wipo.int/classifications/fulltext/new_ipc/index.htm

In 2002, PCT applications were filed in one of the following 21 languages (in descending order by volume of international applications): English, German, Japanese, French, Korean, Chinese, Swedish, Spanish, Russian, Finnish, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Hungarian, Croatian, Czech, Slovenian, Slovak, Turkish and Portuguese.

The PCT also saw its membership grow in 2002 with the accession of three new states - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles and Nicaragua, bringing the total number to 118.

Background

The PCT system offers inventors and industry an advantageous route for obtaining patent protection internationally. By filing one "international" patent application under the PCT, protection for an invention can be sought simultaneously in each of a large number of countries. Both applicants and patent Offices of PCT member states benefit from the uniform formality requirements, the international search and preliminary examination reports, and the centralized international publication provided by the PCT system. The national patent granting procedure and the related high expenses are postponed, in the majority of cases, by up to 18 months (or even longer in the case of some offices) as compared with the traditional patent system. By this time the applicant will have received important value-added information concerning the likelihood of obtaining patent protection as well as potential commercial interest in that invention.

For further information on the PCT and its activities, please refer to https://www.wipo.int/pct/en/ and/or contact the Media Relations & Public Affairs Section at WIPO: Tel: (+41 22) - 338 81 61 or 338 95 47 Fax: (+41 22) - 338 88 10 Email: publicinf@wipo.int.