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 forWIPO’s global intellectual property (IP) services.
WIPO’sPatent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) passed a record-breaking quarter-million (253,000) filing mark in 2018, a 3.9% increase over 2017, while WIPO’s Madrid System saw 61,200 international trademark applications, a 6.4% increase. WIPO’s Hague System for industrial designs saw 3.7% growth in 2018, reaching 5,404 applications.
Patents (Patent Cooperation Treaty – PCT)
In 2018, U.S.-based applicants filed 56,142 PCT applications, followed by applicants from China (53,345) and Japan (49,702). Germany and the Republic of Korea ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, with 19,883 and 17,014 applications. China and India (2,013) are the only two middle-income countries among the top 15 origins of PCT applications. More than half of all PCT applications filed in 2018 came from Asia (50.5%), with Europe (24.5%) and North America (23.1%) accounting for about a quarter each.
Among the top 15 origins, India (+27.2%) and Finland (+14.7%) are the only two countries to record double-digit annual growth in 2018. China (+9.1%) and the Republic of Korea (+8%) both saw strong growth, although China’s rate was its lowest since 2002. The U.K. recorded a 1.3% increase in filings, representing five uninterrupted years of growth. In contrast, the Netherlands (-6.6%), France (-1.2%) and the U.S. (-0.9%) each saw a decrease in filings.
Trademarks (Madrid System)
U.S.-based applicants (8,825) filed the largest number of international trademark applications using WIPO’s Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks in 2018, followed by those located in Germany (7,495), China (6,900), France (4,490) and Switzerland (3,364).
Among the top 15 origins, the Republic of Korea (+26.2%), Japan (+22.8%), the U.S. (+11.9%) and Turkey (+10.2%) recorded double-digit growth. In contrast, Australia (-2.4%) and Austria (-0.1%) are the only two top origins from which fewer applications were filed in 2018 than in 2017.
Industrial designs (Hague System)
The number of applications filed under the Hague System for the International Registration of Industrial Designs grew by 3.7% in 2018, while the number of designs contained in those applications saw a small drop (-0.7%). The total number of applications amounted to 5,404 containing 19,296 designs.
Applicants based in Germany (3,964 designs contained in their applications) continue to be the largest users of the international design system, followed by those in Switzerland (2,510), the Republic of Korea (1,547), France (1,454) and the Netherlands (1,382). Among the top 10 origins, the Netherlands (+71.3%) and Japan (+52.6%) saw the fastest growth, while the U.S. (-22.2%) saw a sharp drop.
Data based on WIPO
