China tops the 2023 list of global invention patent applications which hit a record-breaking 3.5 million filings, said a World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) report released on Thursday.
The World Intellectual Property Indicators 2023 highlight a fourth consecutive year of growth in global invention patent applications, despite economic challenges.
China led with 1.64 million applications in 2023, followed by the U.S., Japan, South Korea, and Germany.
Computer technology dominated patent filings globally, accounting for 12.4 percent of the total applications, with electrical machinery, measurement, medical technology, and digital communication also ranking high.
In addition to invention patents, Chinese applicants led in industrial design applications with 882,807 filings in 2023, followed by the U.S., Germany, Italy, and South Korea. The five countries collectively accounted for nearly 75 percent of global design applications in 2023. The growing Chinese application volume has helped boost the top five origins' share by 3.6 percent over the past decade.
The report also said that China was the most active in plant variety applications, filing more than 15,000 of the world's over 29,000 submissions, representing over half of global activity.
China also had the most registered geographical indications within its territory in 2023, it said.
China tops global invention patent applications in 2023: WIPO report
