For the year 2019, China has become the world leader in international patent filings via WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) with a total of 58,990 applications surpassing the United States (US), which was at top spot since the PCT began operations in 1978.
- In 2019, Asian-based applicants accounted for 52.4% of all filings while Europe accounted 23.2% followed by North America (22.8%).
- It should be noted that for the third consecutive year, Chinese telecoms giant Huawei topped the global ranking in 2019 with 4,411 PCT applications. It was followed by Mitsubishi of Japan, which made 2,661 filings, Samsung of South Korea with 2,334 filings and Qualcomm of the US with 2,127 filings.
The system of registering international patents involves three main categories viz. International patent system (Patent Cooperation Treaty – PCT), International trademark system (Madrid System), and International design system (Hague System). Following tables shows the ranking among these 3 systems:
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International patent applications by origin (PCT System) Total 265,800 | ||
| Rank | Country | Number of Applications |
| 1 | China | 58,990 |
| 2 | United States of America (USA) | 57,840 |
| 3 | Japan | 52,660 |
| 14 | India | 2,053 |
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PCT applicants by educational institution | |||
| Rank | Educational Institute | Country | Number of Applications |
| 1 | University of California | USA | 470 |
| 2 | Tsinghua University | China | 265 |
| 3 | Shenzhen University | China | 247 |
| 58 | Indian Institute of Technology | India | 58 |
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International trademarks applications by origin (Madrid System) Total 64,400 | ||
| Rank | Country | Number of Applications |
| 1 | United States of America (USA) | 10,087 |
| 2 | Germany | 7,700 |
| 3 | China | 6,339 |
| 24 | India | 460 |
| Point to be noted – Nirsan Connect Private Limited of Gurugram, Haryana in India ranked 4th among the top Madrid applicants with 124 filers which is topped by L’OREAL France with 189. | ||
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International industrial designs by origin (Hague System) Total 21,807 | ||
| Rank | Country | Number of Designs |
| 1 | Germany | 4,487 |
| 2 | Republic of Korea | 2,736 |
| 3 | Switzerland | 2,178 |
| 53 | India | 3 |
| Point to be noted: The top Haugue applicant was Samsung Electronics company limited of the Republic of Korea with 929 filers. | ||
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Key Points:
-International patent applications filed via the PCT grew by 5.2% (265,800 applications) in 2019, while international trademark applications via the Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks increased by 5.7% (64,400 applications). Protection for industrial designs via the Hague System for the International Registration of Industrial Designs saw a 10.4% growth (21,807 designs).
-In 1999, WIPO received 276 applications from China. By 2019, that number rose to 58,990, a 200-fold increase in 20 years.
Click Here for Full List of Patents
About WIPO:
A global forum for intellectual property policy, services, information and cooperation is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN).
Member states– 193
Director General– Francis Gurry
Headquarter– Geneva, Switzerland
