WIPO Announces Strong Growth in Demand for Intellectual Property Rights in 2012

GENEVA - International filings for patents, trademarks and industrial designs under the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)-administered Intellectual Property (IP) systems saw continued strong growth in 2012.

In 2012, international patent applications filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) grew by 6.6% on 2011.1 Japan and the United States of America (US) accounted for 48.8% of the 194,400 PCT applications filed in 2012. Chinese telecommunications company ZTE, with its 3,906 published PCT applications, was the largest filer in 2012, according to WIPO.

International trademark applications filed under the Madrid system grew by 4.1% in 2012.4 France, Germany and the US accounted for 36.5% of the 44,018 Madrid applications filed in 2012. Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis was the most active filer in 2012, with 176 Madrid applications.

International industrial design applications filed under the Hague system grew by 3.3% on 2011. The 2,604 applications filed in 2012 contained 12,454 individual designs, representing 3.5% growth over 2011. France, Germany and Switzerland accounted for 62.8% of total designs. Swatch AG of Switzerland with 81 applications was the largest filer in 2012.

“As in previous years, demand for WIPO’s international IP filing systems increased despite a weak economic climate,” said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry. “As we begin to see signs of a recovery, those companies that built strong portfolios of intangible assets during the downturn will benefit the most from new market opportunities.”