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09 April 2020
After ruling the world for over 40 years as the top international patent application filer, the US is now down to second spot. China has taken the lead, for the first time since 1978 when the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) was established.
According to the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) recently released 2019 annual report, a total of 265,800 PCT applications were filed worldwide in 2019.
Of these, 58,990 were filed by China, toppling the US’s 57,840 and thus unseating the latter from its dominant position The US had been consistently winning the race since 1978.
The figure from China reflected a 10.6 percent increase from the number of PCT applications it filed in 2018. Even the total number of filings for 2019 represented a 5.2 percent jump from the number in 2018.
The applications filed were for patents in computer technology, digital communication, electrical machinery, medical technology, measurement and others.
Under the PCT which has 153 contracting states, applicants may delay filing patent applications for 18 more months. An international search report is also issued by the PCT to help applicants assess the patentability of their inventions.
Espie Angelica A. de Leon
