At the European Patent Office (EPO), a total of 199,275 patent applications were filed in the past year, representing an increase of 2.9 percent compared to the previous year. The positive trend from 2021 (+4.7 percent) and 2022 (+2.6 percent) has thus continued.
Patent applications serve as an important early indicator of company investments in research and development. At the same time, they support the commercialization of inventions. Inventors and companies from Germany filed 24,966 patent applications at the EPO in the past year, 1.4 percent more than in the previous year and the first increase after three years of stagnant filing volumes. Germany remains at the top of European countries and continues to rank second worldwide in European patent applications, behind the United States. In 2023, around 12.5 percent of all applications filed at the EPO came from Germany.
Low share of patent applications from women
In patent applications filed at the EPO from Germany last year, only 22 percent listed a woman as an inventor. This is the second-lowest share among the twelve largest European patent filing countries (with more than 2,000 applications per year). It also falls below the average of the 39 EPO member states (27 percent). Looking at technology areas, the frequency of women inventors mentioned in Europe ranged between 14 percent in mechanical engineering and 50 percent in chemistry. These figures make clear how large the gaps still are that need to be closed to tap the full potential of female inventors.
“Examining more patent applications than ever before”
EPO President António Campinos commented on the current figures as follows:
“Our current patent index shows that inventive activity remained high worldwide in 2023. The EPO was tasked with examining more patent applications than ever before. This underscores both the attractiveness of the European technology market and the high quality of our products and services. Small and medium-sized enterprises in Europe are increasingly using patents. Their share of applications reached an all-time high last year. These companies can now also benefit from the newly created unitary patent. It has significantly improved the conditions for innovation in Europe. For inventors, it offers a simpler and more cost-effective way to protect their inventions and introduce them to the large EU market.”
Germany ranks second worldwide
The five countries with the most European patent applications last year were the United States – which accounted for 24 percent of the total filing volume – Germany (12.8 percent), Japan (11 percent), China (10 percent), and the Republic of Korea (6 percent). The increase in patent applications last year was mainly due to the continued strong growth from Korea (+21 percent compared to the previous year) and China (+8.8 percent compared to 2022).
The number of patent applications from the 39 member states of the European Patent Organization (85,748) rose slightly in 2023 (2022: 84,225, +1.8 percent) and represents 43 percent of the total filing volume at the EPO. 57 percent came from other regions, particularly Asia and America.
Bavaria continues to lead the state rankings
Despite a decline in applications of 3.0 percent compared to 2022, Bavaria once again topped the state rankings. Thanks to strong growth (+12.4 percent compared to the previous year), Baden-Württemberg moves into second place, while North Rhine-Westphalia (-5.7 percent compared to the previous year) now ranks third. These three states account for almost 70 percent of all German patent applications to the EPO. Rhineland-Palatinate follows in fourth place, ahead of Hesse.
These five states are also represented in the top 10 most active regions among the 39 EPO member states. In the city rankings, Munich confirms its leading position: with 3,441 applications, Germany’s capital city had the most patent applications in Europe. In the worldwide comparison, Munich ranks sixth. Ludwigshafen am Rhein (1,259 patent applications) and Stuttgart (1,133 patent applications) also rank among the leaders in both rankings.
High acceptance of the unitary patent
Since June 1, 2023, inventors can use the unitary patent system. This gives them a cost-effective option for patent protection in currently 17 EU member states where the European unitary patent has unitary effect. Legal recourse can be taken before the also newly created central unified patent court. For 17.5 percent of all European patents granted in 2023, unitary protection effect was requested at the EPO (a total of over 18,300 requests) – and even for 22.3 percent of all patents granted in the second half of 2023 after the system launched.
In Germany, the acceptance rate was 22.9 percent (slightly below the average of 25.8 percent of the 39 EPO member states). Patent owners from Germany filed over 3,400 applications for unitary protection for patents granted last year.
