Global Intellectual Property Indicators Report: Growth in Trademark and Industrial Design Filings in 2019; decline in patent applications

 According to WIPO's “World Intellectual Property Indicators” reference work, global trademark and industrial design activity increased in 2019, even as the number of patent applications in the world grew. The world has retreated slightly in the face of falling demand in China, a major power in the field of intellectual property.Trademark and industrial design registration activity increased by 5.9% and 1.3% respectively. The 3% drop in patent applications worldwide, the first in a decade, can be attributed to the decline in the number of applications filed by Chinese residents. Outside of China, patent filings increased 2.3% globally.

The annual Global Intellectual Property Indicators report brings together and analyzes intellectual property data from some 150 national and regional offices to inform policymakers, business leaders, investors, academics and other stakeholders looking for data on major trends in innovation and creativity.

The 2019 figures, which precede the COVID-19 pandemic, underscore the sustained growth in demand for intellectual property instruments that are driving an increasingly globalized and digital economy, said WIPO Director General Mr. Daren Tang.

“The continued use of intellectual property instruments reveals high levels of innovation and creativity at the end of 2019, at the very onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Tang said. “The pandemic has accelerated long-observed trends by promoting the adoption of new technologies and accelerating the digitization of everyday life. Because of its close links to technology, innovation and digitization, intellectual property will become even more important to more countries in the post-COVID-19 world. "

Global Intellectual Property Indicators - 2020

Authoritative annual survey of intellectual property activity around the world.Patents

China's intellectual property office received 1.4 million patent applications in 2019, more than twice the amount received by authorities in the second most active country, the United States of America. America (621,453). The United States of America was followed by Japan (307,969), the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO; 218,975) and the European Patent Office (EPO; 181,479). Together, these five offices represented about 84.7% of the world total.

Among the top five offices, the Office of the Republic of Korea (+ 4.3%), the EPO (+ 4.1%) and the Office of the United States of America (+ 4.1%) registered a growth in applications, while the office of China (-9.2%) and that of Japan (-1.8%) registered a decrease.

The number of applications filed in China fell for the first time in 24 years due to a 10.8% drop in applications from residents, as part of a global change in regulations aimed at optimizing relative structures to requests and improve the quality of requests.

Germany (67,434), India (53,627), Canada (36,488), the Russian Federation (35,511) and Australia (29,758) were also among the top 10 offices. These offices recorded a mixed performance. Canada (+ 0.9%) and India (+ 7.1%) posted an increase in the number of filings in 2019, while Australia (-0.7%), Germany (-0 , 7%) and the Russian Federation (-6.4%) recorded a decrease.

Offices located in Asia received almost two-thirds (65%) of all applications filed globally in 2019, a significant increase from the rate of 50.9% in 2009 - mainly due to growth at long term in China. Offices located in North America accounted for just over a fifth (20.4%) of the global total, while those located in Europe made up about a tenth (11.3%). %). The combined share of offices located in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Oceania was 3.3% in 2019.

Regarding foreign filings, which demonstrate a desire to expand into new markets, residents of the United States of America continue to lead with 236,032 equivalent patent applications filed abroad in 2019. The United States of America was followed by Japan (206,758), Germany (104,736), China (84,279) and the Republic of Korea (76,824).

Patents in force worldwide increased 7% to around 15 million in 2019. The highest number of patents in force was registered in the United States of America (3.1 million), followed by China (2.7 million) and Japan (2.1 million). More than half of all patents in force in the United States of America come from abroad, while domestic applicants made up about four-fifths of all patents in force in Japan.

Brands

It is estimated that 11.5 million trademark applications covering 15.2 million classes were filed worldwide in 2019. The number of classes indicated in applications increased by 5.9% in 2019, marking a tenth consecutive year of growth.

The intellectual property office of China posted the highest filing activity [1], with a class count of around 7.8 million, followed by the intellectual property offices of the United States of America ( 672,681) and Japan (546,244), by the Intellectual Property Office of the Islamic Republic of Iran (454,925) and by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO; 407,712) .

Among the top 20 offices, the largest increases between 2018 and 2019 concerned intellectual property offices in Brazil (+ 22.3%), Viet Nam (+ 19.3%), the Islamic Republic of Iran ( + 18.4%), the Russian Federation (+ 16.5%) and Turkey (+ 15.5%).

Offices located in Asia accounted for 70.6% of all trade mark filing activity in 2019, compared to 38.7% in 2009. Europe's share decreased, increasing from 36% in 2009 to 15.4% in 2019. North America accounted for 5.7% of the global total in 2019, while the combined share of offices located in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean as well as than in Oceania was 8.3% in 2019.

The number of trademark registrations in force worldwide in 2019 is estimated at 58.2 million, an increase of 15.2% compared to 2018, with 25.2 million in China alone, followed by 2.8 million in the United States of America and 2 million in India.

Industrial designs

An estimated 1.04 million industrial design applications, containing 1.36 million designs, were filed worldwide in 2019, an annual increase of 1.3%. The intellectual property officeChina received applications containing 711,617 designs in 2019, or 52.3% of the global total. It was followed by the EUIPO (113,319) and the intellectual property offices of the Republic of Korea (69,360), the United States of America (49,848) and Turkey (46,202).

Among the top 20 offices, the following three offices recorded double-digit growth in the number of designs: the Russian Federation (+ 22%), the Islamic Republic of Iran (+ 19.3%) and the Australia (+ 10.3%).

Offices located in Asia accounted for more than two-thirds (68.4%) of all designs contained in applications filed worldwide in 2019, followed by offices located in Europe (24.3%) and in North America (4.2%). The combined share of Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Oceania was 3.1% in 2019.

Designs relating to furnishings accounted for 9.4% of global deposit activity [2], followed by those relating to clothing (8.1%) and packaging and containers (7.3% ).

The total number of industrial design registrations in force worldwide increased 7.3% to approximately 4.1 million. The largest number of active registrations were in China (1.8 million), followed by the Republic of Korea (358,803), the United States of America (357,959) and Japan (261,669).

New plant varieties

China's competent office received 7,834 plant variety protection applications in 2019, a 36% increase from 2018. China now accounts for over a third of all plant variety protection applications filed in the world. China was followed by the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO; 3525) and the relevant offices of the United States of America (1590), Ukraine (1238) and Japan (822). Among the top five offices, China (+ 36%) and Ukraine (+ 1.1%) saw an increase in the number of filings in 2019, while Japan (-6.6%), the United States United States of America (-1.2%) and the CPVO (-0.8%) recorded a decrease in the number of filings.

Geographical indications

In 2019, there were approximately 55,800 geographical indications in force worldwide. Geographical indications are signs affixed to products having a particular geographical origin and which possess qualities or a reputation due to this origin, such as Gruyère for cheese or Tequila for spirits. Germany (14,289) reported the highest number of geographical indications in force, followed by China (7,834), Hungary (6,494) and the Czech Republic (6,071).

Geographical indications in force relating to “wines and spirits” represented around 56.6% of the world total for 2019, followed by geographical indications relating to agricultural and food products (34.2%) and handicrafts (3.5% ).

Publishing sector

Revenues generated by the commercial and educational publishing sectors of 21 countries amounted to $ 67.3 billion in 2019. The United States of America (US $ 23.5 billion) has had the highest net receipts, followed by Japan (US $ 16.1 billion), the Republic of Korea (US $ 6.2 billion), Germany (5 , US $ 6 billion), the United Kingdom (US $ 5.4 billion) and France (US $ 3 billion).

Online sales generated more than half of total commercial sector revenue in Sweden (50.1%) and the UK (55.2%). In the United States of America (43.5%) and Turkey (22%), a high proportion of total revenue from the commercial sector was also generated by online sales.

The United Kingdom reported a cumulative total of around 202,000 titles published for the commercial and educational publishing sectors in 2019. It was followed by the Russian Federation (115,171), France (107,143 ), Italy (100,266) and Spain (95,849).

Footnotes

1 Trademark registration application filing activity refers to the total number of classes indicated in trademark registration applications.

2Industrial design registration activity refers to the total number of designs contained in industrial design registration applications.