WIPO: Trademark, Design and Patent Filings in 2013

Just recently, WIPO published statistics on trademark, design and patent filings in 2013. The growth of the filings per country is ranked, as well as the top technologies and largest files. Additionally, the annual statistics reflect industry Trends and also indicate future developments. For a company it is of upmost importance to protect their intellectual property by filing patents, trademarks and designs. There are a lot of reasons why it is so important for every company to apply for and seek registration of their intellectual property rights. The most important one is that if the patents, trademarks or designs of a company are not protected properly, anybody can use their intellectual property and participate in their success. WIPO Statistics The 2013 WIPO statistics reveal. 5,1 % more patent applications, 6,4% more international trademark applications and 14,8 % more design applications than in 2012. This increase sets a new record this year.     Patent Filing Industry Focus Especially USA, Japan and China increased their patent applications significantly. Most of the patent applications were filed in the sectors: electrical machinery, apparatus, energy, computer technology as well as in the area of medical technology and measurement apparatus. The Japanese company Panasonic outperformed the Chinese company ZTE Corporation, which was the largest filer in 2012. Even through Germany had fewer applications than in 2012, it is ranked no.4 worldwide. The German company “Robert Bosch” counts to the largest filers in 2013.   Trademark Filings The most active users 2013 of the international trademark system here Germany, USA and France. All in all European, countries dominate the 50 applicants’ list. Trademark applications are mostly in the fields of computer electronics, business and technology services. The Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis was the largest trademark filer in the world in 2013. The German pharma company, Boehringer Ingelheim, is ranked 3rd.   Design Filings The growth of design applications was paramount. Switzerland had the most applications for designs, followed by Germany and Italy. Packages, container, clocks, watches and furnishings were the main sectors. The Swiss watchmaker Swatch continued its leading position with 113 different design applications. The German companies Daimler and Volkswagen are ranked 4 and 5.   Conclusion These statistics show that it is becoming more and more important to protect patents, trademarks and designs in our global innovation system. A good and strategically aligned protection is not just a significant part of the value for a company, itself, but also a prerequisite to keep competitors away and be successful.