The Australian IP Report 2026 shows Australia holding its ground during a period of significant structural change in the global economy, as trade relationships diversify and competitive pressures reshape international markets.

Intellectual property data from 2025 reveals a clear rebalancing in who is using Australia’s IP system and where filings are coming from.

“The data shows the global innovation system is changing, with more fragmented patterns of trade and collaboration as firms use IP rights more selectively to enter markets, position products and compete internationally,” IP Australia chief economist Michael Falk said. “At the same time, Australian businesses continue to engage with the IP system as international dynamics shift, and we saw growth in Australian resident filings across all IP rights in 2025.”

Trademark applications reached a record 97,345 in 2025, reflecting increasingly diverse activity by domestic and international businesses.

The figures show filings from Australian residents increasing 15 percent, rising IP activity from China, declining filings from the United States and 138 locations seeking trademark protection in Australia – the most in a decade.

Patent data tells a similar story beneath stable headline volumes, with 9 percent growth in Australian resident filings and declining international patent collaboration.

The decline is driven largely by reduced U.S.‑linked activity, alongside increasing filings of Chinese origin in applied and industrial technologies. Taken together, these patterns are consistent with increasing fragmentation in global science and technology activity.

Despite the overall decline in international collaboration, Australian‑linked collaboration remained firm, indicating sustained participation by Australian innovators as global collaboration patterns evolve.

- Asia IP