International Patent Filing Continues to Rise With BRIC Countries Increasingly Recognized as Centers of Global Patent Innovation

New York, NY, June 28, 2017 (Newswire.com) - According to a new report released today by RWS inovia, the leading foreign patent filing, IP translation and patent search service provider in the world, international patent filing continues to rise for global patent owners, particularly in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) nations, with 87% of respondents having filed patents in at least one of these countries within the last five years. For the first time in the survey’s eight-year history, China was not included as a first time filing destination in 2016.

RWS inovia’s 8th annual “Global Patent & IP Trends Indicator,” an in-depth survey uncovering the latest filing strategies of global patent owners, showed that overall patent activity and international filing rates rose in 2016 with over 41% of those polled having filed more than half of their patent applications overseas in 2016 (compared to just 34% filing more than half abroad in 2015). The report also shows an increase in the number of patents filed, as nearly three quarters of respondents filed more than four patents, with 24% filing 50 or more (up from 16% in 2015).

"Our report shows that regions once considered to be emerging by the global patent community have matured into central patent hubs. This doesn't come to us a surprise as almost all of our clients have made China a primary focus over the past several years,"

Justin Simpson, Founder of the Inovia platform

This year’s Indicator also reflects an increase in the number of countries where patents were filed compared to 2015. More than 73% of respondents filed patents in four or more countries (up from 62% filing into four or more in 2015). With the increased volume of countries targeted, patent filings expanded into new markets led by destinations in South America and Asia. The overwhelming majority of those (96%) were filed through the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

“Our report shows that regions once considered to be emerging by the global patent community have matured into central patent hubs. This doesn’t come to us a surprise as almost all of our clients have made China a primary focus over the past several years,” said Justin Simpson, founder of the inovia platform. “At the same time, we are seeing new international markets develop as patent filing centers because of shifts in manufacturing centers, research & development and filing costs. This highlights the significance of a broad and expansive IP portfolio as companies grow, and we look forward to helping our clients implement smart patent strategies in key regions such as South America, Eastern Europe and Asia.”

Respondents also ranked the importance of certain jurisdictions in their 10-year foreign filing strategies. The United States took the top spot for the second year in a row. Largely, feelings have remained consistent from previous years with Europe, China, Japan and Canada rounding out the top five respectively. South Korea pushed out India and moved from the 8th to 6th position.

The Global Patent & IP Trends Indicator is an annual report issued by RWS inovia, the world leader in foreign patent filing, IP translations and patent search services. Now in its eighth year, the Indicator has become an established industry report which identifies the trends having the greatest impact on the filing strategies of patent applicants around the world. Results were generated from a survey of over 115 international companies and universities conducted by RWS inovia in May 2017.

You can view the full report by clicking here.   

About RWS inovia
RWS inovia is the global leader in IP translation, foreign patent filing and search services. For more than 50 years, we have led the industry and helped more than 10,000 clients protect their intellectual property and enforce their IP rights around the world. As the number one patent translation specialists, we translate over 70,000 patents and IP-related documents each year. Our patented technology on our global instruction platform, inovia.com, simplifies the PCT national stage entry, direct (Paris Convention) filing and European validation processes – with agents covering more than 130 countries. Our top quality patent and design searches leverage PatBase – a professional patent database developed in partnership with Minesoft Ltd.

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Source: RWS inovia