By Martin Banks - 13th April 2011
We are back to growth
Benoît Battistelli
The European patent office (EPO) says that the number of applications for patents has risen sharply in the past year.
Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, EPO president Benoît Battistelli said the rise was an indication of an improved economic outlook in Europe.
He said, "2009 was a bad year but the past 12 months has been better than was expected. These figures are clear; we are back to growth."
"In 2010 there was an increase in demand for patent protection from every region of the world. After a two-year slump, the EU and US are nearly back to their levels of patenting before the crisis.
"This combined with a massive rise in patent applications from Asia, led by China, has made 2010 a record year at the EPO."
The EPO received 235,000 patent filings in 2010, up 11 per cent from 2009, marking the highest number ever in the office's 34-year history.
Some 39 per cent of these applications originated from the 38 member states of the EPO, with 26 per cent from the US, 18 per cent from Japan and five per cent from China and South Korea.
The EPO, based in Munich, supports innovation and growth in Europe by granting European patents.
Its annual report, presented at the news conference, said that European firms continue to be the "champions" of patent protection in their home market, with three European companies, Siemens, Philips and BASF topping the list of most prolific applicants in 2010.
It says that all of the major technical fields saw a growth in patent application filing in 2010.
Medical technology led the pack with 10,500 applications, followed by computer technology, 8300 applications, and electrical machinery.
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