International Patent Filings with Enormous Growth from East Asia
(posted on our MP&W website) 9 February 2007, 11:45

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) announced on February 7 a record of international patent applications filed in 2006. 145,300 applications were filed, representing a 6.4% growth over the previous year. The most remarkable growth rates came from countries in East Asia, particularly South Korea and China. South Korea became the 4th biggest country of origin of the Patent Cooperation Treaty filings as the year 2006 saw a growth of 26.6% and 5,935 applications. With a growth rate of 56.8% that resulted in 3910 applications, China ranks number 8.

Among the 20 top filing companies were four Japanese Companies (Matsushita, Toyota, Mitsubishi und Fujitsu).

Source: http://www.wipo.int/edocs/prdocs/en/2007/wipo_pr_2007_476.html