| International
patent applications filings increase 10 percent in
2002
World
Intellectual Property Organization
March 2003
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.
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 10 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).
| Technical
fields under the IPC |
|
Percentage
share of PCT applications published in 2002 |
|
| G.
Physics |
|
21.7 |
| C.
Chemistry; metallurgy |
|
19.6 |
| H.
Electricity |
|
18.8 |
| A.
Human necessities |
|
17.0 |
| B.
Performing operations; transporting |
|
13.3 |
F.
Mechanical engineering; lighting, heating, weapons,
blasting
|
|
5.9 |
| E.
Fixed constructions |
|
2.4 |
| D.
Textiles; paper |
|
1.3 |
For
information on the specific contents of each main
technical field, consult the IPC on the WIPO Web site.
|
