International patent applications continued to grow in 2020, a year marked by an unprecedented global pandemic that caused huge human and economic losses. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), patent applications grew by 4% to reach “the highest number ever” at 275,900 applications, despite the estimated 3.5% decline in the global economy, as reported by the International Monetary Fund.
As patent filing becomes more and more popular, it is time to explore which are the top patent filer countries, brands, and sectors around the globe. Let’s have a look.
Top Patent Filers in 2020
When it comes to the top countries that filed the most international patent applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), China remained the leader with 68,720 PCT applications and a 16.1% year-on-year growth. In the second place, we find the United States, which grew by 3% with 59,230 applications. Other leading countries are Japan, in third place with 50,520 applications (-4.1%), the Republic of Korea with 20,060 applications (+5.2%), and Germany with 18,643 applications (-3.7%).
The Chinese brand Huawei Technologies published 5,464 applications in 2020, remaining the top filer for the fourth consecutive year. Huawei was followed by Samsung Electronics of the Republic of Korea, Mitsubishi Electric Corp. of Japan, LG Electronics Inc. of the Republic of Korea, and Qualcomm Inc. of the United States.
Additionally, the current top leading sectors include computer technology, digital communication, medical technology, electrical machinery, and measurement. Europe, for instance, is seeing growth in biotech and pharma patents, whilst artificial intelligence (AI) patent applications are dominated by European and US applicants, and 3D printing patents are led by the United States at the European Patent Office (EPO).
Patent Filing Services
Business ideas and innovations are blooming due to the pandemic, pushing many to file patents in order to protect an invention, no matter the sector. This pressing demand, and its global nature, make translation services and patent filing services crucial to operate internationally.
These processes can, however, be complex and time-consuming. At Global Voices, we can help you through the entire patent filing process and minimise any administration times with our patent filing services.
To know more about how to file patents, legal translations and our patent and document translation services, get in touchwith us.