Patents Trade Marks Designs
IP Filings Increase - More than 7 million patents in the world
March 29, 2012
The number of IP applications (for patents, trade marks and designs) filed in 2010 increased significantly relative to 2009 which had seen a decrease relative to the previous year.
From a report produced by WIPO, the World Intellectual Property Organisation, it can be seen that there was a significant increase in patent and trade mark filings in 2010. Patent filings rose by 7.2% over 2009 which had seen a decrease in filing numbers. A lot of this increase is due to China where the number of patent applications filed rose by 24.3%. Excluding Chinese patent applications, the number of new filings elsewhere still increased by 3.7%. Patent filings in the main European economies represented by France, Germany and the UK rose by 7.1%, far above the GDP growth rate. Overall 1.98 million patent applications were filed globally in 2010. An estimated 7.3 million patents are now in force worldwide. China overtook Japan as having the largest number of applications from resident applicants, i.e. Chinese companies or individuals, with almost 300,000 applications being filed. Trade mark filings increase, with an 11.8% increase relative to 2009. Again a significant amount of the increase came from Chinese trade mark applications which increased by 29.8%. These increases are significantly above the global growth in GDP of 5.1%. Almost 3.7 million trade mark applications were filed globally in 2010. It is estimated that there are now around 18 million registered trade marks in the world. It is estimated that around 720,000 design applications were filed in 2010, and it is estimated there are around 1.65 million design registrations in force in the world. The full report can be accessed at http://www.wipo.int/ipstats/en... Please contact Robert Sales for more details [email protected] or your usual contact at Swindell & Pearson Ltd.
Swindell & Pearson has been helping businesses and individuals protect and defend their ideas, innovations and brands for over 130 years. With its head office in Derby, the firm also has offices in Stoke, Wolverhampton, Stafford, Sheffield and Burton. To find out how Swindell & Pearson can help you with any intellectual property requirements please get in touch via [email protected] or by telephone on 01332 367 051.
