February 2008
World Intellectual Property Organization: Global Patenting Statistics 2007
WIPO's summary statistics on the PCT system for 2007 filings notes that "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."
November 2007
U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: FY07 Performance Report
USPTO Performance and Accountability Report for FY 2007 highlights "record breaking year-end numbers that reveal historic improvement in the quality of patent and trademark reviews and subsequently the quality of issued patents and registered trademarks." Some statistics from the report and press release:
Regarding Patents:
- Examined 362,227 applications - the highest number in history.
- Quality compliance was 96.5 percent - equaling last year's results, the best in a quarter century.
- Patent examiner decisions were upheld by the USPTO's patent appeals board 69 percent of the time, up from 51 percent in 2005.
Regarding Trademarks:
- USPTO's trademark examining attorneys examined a record 323,527 applications.
- Quality was 97.4 percent.
- The quality results exceeded fiscal year 2007 targets.
- The average time from filing an initial trademark application to a preliminary decision from an examining attorney (first action) was below 3 months.
November 2007
Kauffman Foundation: US-Based Global IP Creation
U.S.-Based Global Intellectual Property Creation, released by the Kauffman Foundation, notes that "[D]elaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, California and Connecticut top the list of states that are leaders in innovation as measured by international patent applications … The five states that have lagged the most in filing international patent applications are, in reverse order, South Dakota, Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii and Mississippi, according to the study. The state ranking is based on the total percentage of international patent applications filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) per 100,000 workers for the years 1998 and 2006." Other findings in the report include:
- The vast majority of U.S. PCT applications were filed by industry. In 2006, 92.2 percent of PCT applications were filed by industry, representing a modest increase from 91.1 percent in 1998. California alone contributed almost one quarter of the U.S. PCT applications from industry, followed by New York, Massachusetts, Texas and New Jersey.
- Universities and research institutions were responsible for only 8.9 percent of all PCT applications in 1998 and for 7.8 percent in 2006. Again, the states with the greatest number of university applications were California, Massachusetts and New York. Rounding out the top 10 were Texas, Florida, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois and Ohio.
- The number of U.S. PCT applications has increased. In the nine-year period from 1998 to 2006, the average percentage of PCT applications per 100,000 workers in the United States increased from 14.9 percent to 25.1 percent.
While the United States share of PCT applications remains greater than that of any other country, overall its share of international PCT applications has decreased from 37.4 percent to 34.1 percent in the last four years as other countries have experienced more substantial growth.
October 2006
World Intellectual Property Organization: Global Patenting Statistics
WIPO Patent Report (2006 Edition) presents an "overview of worldwide patenting activity based on statistics up to the end of 2004. It provides analyses of different aspects of the patent system, cross-country comparisons and special sections on technical features of the patent system such as the Patent Cooperation Treaty and the European Patent Convention." As noted on their website, highlights include (See December 2006 DC on T2):
- Growth in patent activity. Patent filings have grown at an average annual rate of 4.75% over the past ten years, to a total of nearly 1.6 million in 2004, with over 5.4 million patents in force worldwide by the end of 2004.
- Increasing internationalization. Patenting activity has expanded across more countries in recent years (e.g., 7.4% average annual increase since 1995 in patents filed by non-residents - with increased patent filings in countries such as Brazil, China, and India). However, use of the patent system remains highly concentrated with five patent offices (U.S., Japan, European Patent Office, Republic of Korea and China) accounting for 75% of all patent applications and 74% of all patents granted.
- Increased use of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). The number of PCT international applications grew at an average annual rate of 16.8% from 1990 to 2005. PCT national phase entries account for 47% of all non-resident patent filings."
