India figures among the top 25 patent applicants in 2021
Berlin, Apr 5 (EFE).– India has figured among the top 25 patent applicants in the 2021 global index, with regional rival China being one of the leading five countries in the world in economic and technological innovation.
The European Patent Office (EPO) Tuesday released the patent index, showing that the filings rebounded significantly last year after a dip in 2020 due to the pandemic.
The EPO received 188,600 applications in 2021, up 4.5 percent from the previous year and the highest number to date, indicating that “innovation has remained robust.”
At the 22nd spot, Indians have filed 817 applications, 16,5 percent more than the last year.
Chinese companies posted the fastest growth, said the EPO headquartered in Munich.
The top country of origin for applications in 2021 was again the United States which accounted for 25 percent of total filings, followed by Germany (14 percent), Japan (11 percent), China (nine percent) and France (six percent).
Patent applications remained highly concentrated in a few countries, with five nations accounting for 64 percent of European patent applications in 2021.
The top 20 countries accounted for 95 percent, said an EPO statement.
Filings from China (24 percent higher than in 2020) and the US (5.2 more) fueled the growth in patent applications at the EPO in 2021.
Patent filings from Chinese companies, in particular, have continued to climb steeply, more than quadrupling in the past decade.
The China-headquartered Huawei was the leading patent applicant at the EPO in 2021, followed by South Korea-based Samsung and LG.
The top ten include four companies from Europe, two from South Korea, two from the US, and one from Japan.
The number of patent applications – an early indicator of companies’ investments in research and development – has increased in nine of the top ten most patent-active technology fields, with digital communication and computer technology posting the strongest growth.
“The strong demand for patents, (…) highlights the creativity and resilience of innovators in Europe and worldwide,” said EPO President António Campinos.
“They have filed higher numbers of patent applications and the strong growth in digital technologies provides compelling evidence of the digital transformation taking place across all sectors and industries.” EFE
int-ssk/ia
