For three years now, the number of invention patent applications filed with TIPO has been on the rise, with 2019 seeing a total of 45,650 cases, representing a year-on-year increase of 2.6%. In 2019, there were 265,800 patent applications under the PCT – 5.2% more than in the previous year – marking a ten-year growth streak.

A breakdown by nationality shows that both domestic and foreign applications experienced sustained growth over the past three years. Data for 2019 put the number of resident applications at 18,294 (40.1%), with the same figure for non-resident applications coming to 27,356 (59.9%). Japan ranked first for foreign applicants, followed by the USA and mainland China – all three exhibited an upward trend. As for the nationality of applicants of PCT applications, mainland China took the lead for the first time, after boasting a substantial increase in applications of 10.6%, surpassing both Japan and the USA.

An analysis by technological field reveals that semiconductor patents made up the leading category for invention patent applications filed with TIPO in the past five years, standing at 11.6% of all applications in 2019. This group was followed by computing technology, electromechanical energy devices, and optics. For PCT applications, the order was as follows: computing technology, digital communication, and electromechanical energy devices. Applications for semiconductor and optics patents, however, only ranked 9th and 10th, respectively.

Looking at the top three technological fields for applications filed with TIPO, we learn that semiconductor patents saw the most applications filed by Japan, the USA, and South Korea. For computing technology, it was Taiwan, mainland China, and Hong Kong who led the pack, while Germany filed the most invention patents for electromechanical energy devices.

For PCT applications, the breakdown follows a different pattern: mainland China and South Korea saw the most applications filed for digital communication patents. In the USA, computing technology ranked first. As for Japan, electromechanical energy devices reigned supreme, whereas in Germany, it was transportation that came out on top. As we can see, there is a difference in terms of prioritized technological fields when comparing the PCT figures with those of TIPO.

• Publish Date : 2020-11-27
• Update : 2021-06-18
• Organization : International Legal Affairs Office
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