WIPO releases recent IP statistics

Yesterday, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) released an overview of intellectual property (IP) activity in 2009, the last year where full data are available. The overview is called WIPO ‘IP Facts and Figures 2011’ and covers patents, utility models, trademarks and industrial designs and serves as a quick reference guide for IP statistics gathered from 90 IP offices around the world. WIPO also made ‘Statistical Country Profiles’ available on its website, to provide policymakers, researchers, and the general public with user-friendly access to IP statistics for individual countries. The statistics also list IP activity (such as filings) relative to countries' economic performance.

IP Facts and Figures 2011 shows that trademark protection is the most sought-after form of IP, especially in China. The China Trademark Office received a quarter of all trademark applications worldwide in 2009. India showed the highest five-year growth (13.5%) from 2005 to 2009, whereas China had one of the highest annual growth rates (20.8%) from 2008 to 2009. Also China seems to be keen on protecting its industrial designs, as China accounted for 50% of total industrial design filing activity in 2009. After China seems to have successfully cooperated with the EU with its European-Chinese project regarding the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR2), these statistics are a further indication that China’s IP administration is becoming more effective.

WIPO also made available statistics on international applications. International IP applications are in particular popular with respect to patents. Patents, with 42.7% of global applications filed abroad, show applicants’ greater demand for seeking international protection for this form of IP than for the other three IP types distinguished by WIPO, which are trademarks, industrial designs and utility models.

You can read the IP Facts and Figures 2011 here and the Statistical Country Profiles here.

Reference: WIPO