European Patent Office Sees 10% Rise In Patent Applications For 2010

The European Patent Office (EPO) has reported receiving 232,000 European patent filings in 2010, 10% up on the 2009 figure (211,000). 39% of these filings originated from the 38 member states of the European Patent Organisation, 26% from the US, 18% from Japan and 5% from each of South Korea and China.

In 2010, the EPO granted 58,000 patents, 11% more than in 2009 (52,400).

EPO President, Benoît Battistelli, said: "These figures clearly indicate that demand for patent protection is on the rise again, after the economic downturn of the previous two years".

The EPO expects a further increase for the current year. Detailed statistics on patent applications will be published in the spring.

Meanwhile, in the World Intellectual Property Organisation's (WIPO) February PCT Newsletter, a similar trend has been reported.

WIPO said:

"Provisional data indicate that approximately 162,900 international applications were filed under the PCT in 2010, representing an increase in filings over 2009 of 4.8%. This means that, following the first ever fall in PCT filings which occurred in 2009 as a result of the global economic downturn, filings were again on the increase and represented the second highest yearly total since operations began in 1978.”