WIPO: Continued growth for patent and trademark applications

According to the 2015 edition of the World Intellectual Property Indicators report, published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the number of patent and trademark applications filed around the world continues to grow. In 2014, patent filings worldwide increased by 4.5 percent and trademark filings by 6.0 percent. China is the main driver of growth. The number of patent applications filed with the State intellectual property office (SIPO) in China actually outstripped the combined total of its next-closest followers, the United States and Japan.

The top 5 technology fields for patent applications are computer technology, electrical machinery, measurement, digital communication and medical technology.

The number of industrial design applications, however, decreased by 8.1 percent in 2014. It is the first time for more than 20 years that design applications around the world decline. According to the report, the fall is mainly due to a sharp decrease in filings by Chinese residents.

The World Intellectual Property Indicators report presents the latest trends in global IP activity covering patents, utility models, trademarks, industrial designs and plant varieties. The report includes around 140 indicators covering data for 150 IP offices around the world.
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