EPO
European Patent Office Report
In 2022, the European Patent Office (EPO) released this study providing evidence and insights on gender and patenting across Europe. The study reveals that just 13.2% of inventors in Europe are women. While the percentage has been steadily rising, there is clearly still work to be done to close the patenting gender gap.
This report presents data regarding gender and patenting across a wide range of countries, for different time periods, patent application profiles, and in different technology fields. The report indicates that the gender gap in relation to patenting could be harming technological progress, for European societies as a whole, given that the ingenuity of all people is not being fully leveraged. It recommends that policymakers enact policies and programs to close the gap and increase access to patents for female inventors.
Click here to read the report.
EPO Launches Clean-Energy Platform to Support Researchers
Ahead of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), the EPO today launched a new Clean Energy platform designed to support researchers and decision-makers involved in the race for clean-energy technologies that contribute to the UN SDGs.
The platform provides an initial selection of some 60 ready-made smart patent information searches to help scientists, engineers and decision-makers find and build upon existing green tech solutions with greater ease.
Click here to read more.
IP Training Programs for Innovators of the Future
Every April 26, the global IP community marks World Intellectual Property Day to celebrate the role that intellectual property (IP) rights play in encouraging innovation and creativity. This year the theme of World Intellectual Property Day is “IP and Youth: Innovating for a Better Future” and celebrates youth-led ingenuity.
Across the globe, young people are stepping up to meet innovation challenges, using their energy and ingenuity, curiosity, and creativity to steer a course towards a better future. Knowledge about how to secure and manage intellectual property rights can accelerate their efforts. Therefore, Innovation Council has created an infographic featuring IP training programs dedicated to the innovators of the future.
Healthcare Innovation Main Driver of European Patent Applications in 2020
The latest statistics published by the European Patent Office (EPO) show that innovation in healthcare was the main driver of patenting activity in 2020. Medical technology was the field with the most inventions by volume, while pharmaceuticals and biotechnology were the fastest-growing areas. Indeed, in 2020, medical technology retook the top spot for most inventions (from the field of digital communication), while pharmaceuticals and biotech showed 10.2% and 6.3% increases in patent filing, respectively.
Patent grants up 5.9% at IP5 offices in 2019
Patents played an even more important role in 2019 to protect intellectual property. According to the latest IP5 Statistics Report, the world’s five largest IP offices granted 1.6 million patents in 2019, an increase of 5.9% on the previous year. The total number includes 2.7 million patent applications filed at the IP5 offices in 2019.
The annual patent statistics published by the European Patent Office, the Japan Patent Office, the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the China National Intellectual Property Administration and the United States Patent and Trademark Office were used for this analysis. If you are curious about the 2020 EPO statistics – they will be published in March.