After a coronavirus-related decline, the number of applications at the EPO reached a historic high. The largest number of patent applications, 46,533, came from the USA. Germany followed with 25,969 applications, Japan with 21,681, and China with 16,665. These record numbers underscore the creativity and resilience of inventors in Europe and around the world, said the EPO President. Antonio Campinos.
“We are back on track,”
says EPA Chief Economist Yann Ménière.
"The fairly significant increase in registrations last year compensates for the slight decline the previous year. Research and development represent long-term investments for companies that are less affected by crises."
Munich and Bavaria top the EPA statistics
Bavaria leads the EPO statistics for European regions with 7,656 applications, well ahead of second-placed Île-de-France with 6,705. In Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia follows in second place with 5,248 patent applications and Baden-Württemberg with 5,087.
Munich accounts for 3,757 patent applications. In a comparison of German cities, the state capital ranks well ahead of Ludwigshafen (1,089), Stuttgart (1,086), Berlin (825), and Leverkusen (680). Ménière says that while Munich benefits somewhat from its role as the seat of the EPO, the effect is manageable and does not distort the statistics.
Recently, the German Patent and Trademark Office, also based in Munich, published its Annual figures for 2021In their ranking, Baden-Württemberg was ahead of Bavaria in terms of the number of patent applications. According to Yann Ménière, the different figures could be due to different filing strategies among companies.
