European Patent Index Digital technologies and clean energies drive patent demand

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The European Patent Office recorded 199,275 applications last year, an increase of 2.9 percent over the previous year. The top 5 patent countries are the USA, Germany, Japan, the People's Republic of China, and for the first time also the Republic of Korea. In Europe, almost one in four patent applications comes from an SME.

After the German Patent and Trademark Office recently reported an increase in patent applications last year, the European Patent Office has now also announced a rise of almost 3 percent for 2023: In 2023, 199,275 patent applications were filed with the European Patent Office (EPO). According to the current Patent Index 2023, this represents a new record high and a continuation of the positive trend from 2022 (+2.6 percent) and 2021 (+4.7 percent). As a tool for the protection and marketing of inventions, patent applications are an early indicator of companies' investments in research and development.

Small and medium-sized enterprises in Europe are increasingly using patents. Their share of applications reached the highest level ever last year.

EPA-Präsident António Campinos

"Our current Patent Index shows that inventive activity remained high worldwide in 2023," says EPO President António Campinos. "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 framework conditions for innovation in Europe. It offers inventors a simpler and more cost-effective way to protect their inventions and introduce them into the large EU market."

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Significant increase in inventions in digital communication and energy technology

The technical fields with the most patent applications filed at the EPO last year were digital communication (including technologies for cellular networks), medical technology, and computer technology. However, the largest increase in 2023 was shown by the technology segment Electrical Machinery, Apparatus, Energy (+12.2 percent compared to 2022), which includes inventions related to clean energy technologies including batteries (+28 percent). Biotechnology also continued to see an increase in application numbers (+5.9 percent).

Application trends from Europe and worldwide

The five most active countries of origin for European patent applications in 2023 were the USA, Germany, Japan, China, and the Republic of Korea. About 43 percent of all applications came from the 39 member states of the EPO, while 57 percent were non-European submissions (see graphic Origin of Applications).

The number of patent applications from the member states also increased in 2023, reaching 85,748 (+1.8 percent). European companies were particularly strong in the segments of digital communication (+10.7 percent), biotechnology (+6.4 percent), computer technology (+4.2 percent), and measurement technology (+4.0 percent).

Huawei leads the ranking of patent applicants

In 2023, Huawei remained the leading patent applicant at the EPO. With a significant increase to more than 5,000 submissions, nearly a quarter of all patent applications from China were attributed to this company. Samsung and LG follow in 2nd and 3rd place, collectively accounting for two-thirds of all European patent applications from the Republic of Korea. Qualcomm and Ericsson occupy the 4th and 5th spots, respectively. Among the top 10, there are four companies from Europe, two from the Republic of Korea, two from the USA, and one each from China and Japan.

Almost one in four patent applications in Europe submitted by SMEs

Patents are also of strategic importance for smaller companies. In 2023, 23 percent of all patent applications from Europe were filed by individuals or small and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 250 employees. Another 8 percent came from universities and public research institutions (see the graph Applicant by Category). As part of its ongoing support for smaller applicants, the EPO will reduce certain fees for micro-enterprises, individuals, non-profit organizations, universities, and public research institutions starting April 1, 2024.

How female inventors contribute

This year's Patent Index includes, for the first time, statistics on women's contributions to technical innovations. In 27 percent of all patent applications from Europe, at least one woman is named as an inventor. Among the larger European patent applicant countries (with more than 2,000 applications per year), Spain (46 percent), France (33 percent), and Belgium (32 percent) had the highest proportion of patent applications in which at least one woman was named as an inventor in 2023.

In the individual technology fields, the share ranged from 14 percent in mechanical engineering to 50 percent in the field of chemistry. The data show that more women should be encouraged in order to fully exploit the potential of female inventors.