World Intellectual Prop Org: Rise of China as World's Largest IP Powerhouse

[Bussard Ramjet]

I congratulate China, not for filing a million patents for its home market, but for rising quickly in international patent filings.

Frankly, as we have discussed before @Shotgunner51 the patent filings in domestic territory is not a good indicator to compare due to vastly different standards of patents. Better indicators for technical prowess are research funding stats, and international patent filings, where China is positioned at number 3.

 

[Shotgunner51]

I congratulate China, not for filing a million patents for its home market, but for rising quickly in international patent filings.

Frankly, as we have discussed before @Shotgunner51 the patent filings in domestic territory is not a good indicator to compare due to vastly different standards of patents. Better indicators for technical prowess are research funding stats, and international patent filings, where China is positioned at number 3.

Thanks. On your question about PCT, which is facility used by innovator in cross-border protection, see this:

Most patents before entering PCT are written in Chinese, Japanese and Korean. To facilitate translation, WIPO has developed a translation machine based on artificial intelligence that outperforms any other technology for translating the complex language used in patents, handing innovators around the world the highest-quality service yet available for accessing information on new technologies.

WIPO has initially “trained” the new technology to translate Chinese, Japanese and Korean patent documents into English. Patent applications in those languages accounted for some 55% of worldwide filings in 2014. Users can already try out the Chinese-English translation facility on the public beta test platform.

“One of the aims of the patent system is to make technology available. Language is a barrier to the universal achievement of that aim. This breakthrough for WIPO Translate means that a vast, and ever-increasing, trove of patent documents will soon be more easily accessible to innovators who search these records for inspiration or technical know-how,” said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry.

“As part of a global trend, patent applications are increasingly being filed in East Asian languages, particularly in Chinese, and WIPO Translate helps ensure that state-of-the-art knowledge created in these languages is shared as widely and rapidly as possible.”​

Read more at:

http://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2016/article_0014.html
https://www.ft.com/content/d6be65f0-9e8d-11e6-891e-abe238dee8e2
http://www.ag-ip-news.com/news.aspx?id=41081&lang=en​

Japan's decline is worrying

Yes among the Top 20 we do see several nations in decline, like Japan, Finland, Netherlands, UK, Israel, Canada. Japan was world's #1 innovator between 1968-2005, then in decline, by 2015 they are still 3rd largest innovator after China, US, and second only to SK in per capita. Reasons? I don't know, perhaps it has to do with

1. Demographic decline
2. Unique socio-economic structure, aka "Keiretsu", resources highly concentrated only in corporations.

See global Top 100 applicants, the list is dominated by Japanese corporations. Six of out top ten were from one single nation of Japan, with Panasonic, Canon and Toyota Jidosha at top three.

 

[deckingraj]

We should aim for top 5, by 2025 if we want to become a developed country and take advantage of our demographic dividend. 14th is freakin pathetic for a country of 1.2 billion



Japan's decline is worrying

you need to pump in money...patents comes from research and for that you need money....enough talent but that needs support...

 

[Echo_419]

you need to pump in money...patents comes from research and for that you need money....enough talent but that needs support...

Hopefully, research spending in India will increase in line with the increase in GDP

 

[deckingraj]

Hopefully, research spending in India will increase in line with the increase in GDP

surely it will...however my idea was to point out that economic prosperity is directly proportional to patents as research is the backbone of these things and that warrants money...

 

[Echo_419]

surely it will...however my idea was to point out that economic prosperity is directly proportional to patents as research is the backbone of these things and that warrants money...

I think we need to start with basics first, fix the education system, everything from primary education to univ level education needs reform, Pvt sector needs to be encouraged to invest more in R&D

 

[deckingraj]

I think we need to start with basics first, fix the education system, everything from primary education to univ level education needs reform, Pvt sector needs to be encouraged to invest more in R&D

of-course ....no doubt about that...

 

[Dungeness]

Spurred by patent and trademark applications in China, global innovation flies high – UN agency


WIPO Director General Francis Gurry speaks at a press conference at the United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland (file). Photo: WIPO

23 November 2016 – Global innovation is soaring as the 2015 edition of a United Nations agency on intellectual property report reveals that 2.9 million patent applications lodged worldwide – a 7.8 per cent increase over the previous year.

Trademark applications, too rose 15.3 per cent to about six million in and worldwide industrial design applications grew by 2.3 per cent to 872,000, according to the UN World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

“As policy-makers seek to invigorate growth around the world, it is encouraging to report that intellectual property filing activity saw healthy progression in 2015,” said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry, announcing the agency’s World Intellectual Property Indicators (WIPI) report.

“Intellectual property (IP) use grew in most countries in 2015, reflecting its increasing importance in a globalized knowledge economy,” he added.

Patents – More than a million filings at China’s patent office

According to the report, Chinese innovators filed the most patent applications (1,010,406) in 2015, followed by those from the United States (526,296) and Japan (454,285), and China’s patent office received 1,101,864 filings in 2015, making it the first office to receive more than a million applications in a single year.

An estimated 10.6 million patents were in force around the globe in 2015. US accounted for about a quarter (24.9 per cent of the total), followed by 18.3 per cent in Japan and 13.9 per cent in China.

In terms of sectors, computer technology (7.9 per cent of the total) saw the highest percentage of published patent applications worldwide, followed by electrical machinery (7.3 per cent) and digital communication (4.9 per cent).

Around 1.24 million patents were granted worldwide in 2015 (5.2 per cent more than 2014, and the fastest growth rate since 2012). This was due mainly to an increase of grants in China, which issued 359,316 patents in 2015 to surpass the US (298,407) as the largest patent issuing office, WIPO noted.

Trademarks – up 26.6 per cent

China also saw the highest trademark filing activity with some 2.83 million applications, followed by the US (517,297), European Union (EU) Intellectual Property Office (366,383) and Japan (345,070).

In addition, 2015 saw about 4.4 million trademark registrations, covering some 6.2 million cases, recorded. This was an increase of 26.6 percent over 2014 and the fastest growth in over 15 years.

Around 4.4 million trademark registrations covering 6.2 million classes were recorded worldwide in 2015. This was a 26.6% increase on 2014 and the fastest growth in over 15 years.

Industrial Designs – rebounding with 2.3 per cent growth

Global applications for industrial design - the ornamental or aesthetic aspect of an article, consist of three dimensional features (shape of article) or two dimensional features (patterns, lines or colour) grew by 2.3 per cent, rebounding from a sharp decrease recorded in 2014.

Designers across the world filed 872,800 applications containing 1.1 million designs. The growth was mainly due to increases in applications filed China, the Republic of Korea and the US.

WIPO is a specialized agency of the UN provides business services for obtaining IP rights in multiple countries and resolving disputes. It works to strengthen capacity in developing countries to help them benefit from using IP. WIPO also provides free access to unique knowledge banks of IP information.


Wilier Triestina's Twinblade aerodynamic design bicycle was among a wide selection of products or projects featured at the exhibition “Italian Design Innovation – ADI Design Index 2012," which opened at WIPO on September 25, 2013. Photo: Emmanuel Berrod

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=55635#.WDXyGvkrJhE

 

[Dungeness]

I think we need to start with basics first, fix the education system, everything from primary education to univ level education needs reform, Pvt sector needs to be encouraged to invest more in R&D

Totally agree. I had discussions with a couple of respected Indian members about this issue. Education is THE key, all other programs like "Skill India", "Make In India", etc. will fall in place if you have a decent education system.

 

[Shotgunner51]

Industrial Designs – rebounding with 2.3 per cent growth

Global applications for industrial design - the ornamental or aesthetic aspect of an article, consist of three dimensional features (shape of article) or two dimensional features (patterns, lines or colour) grew by 2.3 per cent, rebounding from a sharp decrease recorded in 2014.

Designers across the world filed 872,800 applications containing 1.1 million designs. The growth was mainly due to increases in applications filed China, the Republic of Korea and the US.

WIPO is a specialized agency of the UN provides business services for obtaining IP rights in multiple countries and resolving disputes. It works to strengthen capacity in developing countries to help them benefit from using IP. WIPO also provides free access to unique knowledge banks of IP information.

Yes, other than patents, another key IP is industrial designs. I have posted patents data in post #2, so here we go about:

Industrial Designs

Industrial Design filings since 1883

Between 1883 and the early 1950s, the Japan Patent Office (JPO) and the USPTO averaged similar numbers of applications, rarely exceeding 10,000. The JPO received the largest number of applications from the 1950s to the late 1990s, reaching about 50,000 annual filings at its peak. SIPO began receiving applications in 1985 and saw unprecedented growth, from 640 in 1985 to 660,000 in 2013. It experienced its first drop in 2014. KIPO surpassed the JPO in 2004, and has remained the second-largest office since then. In 2012, the USPTO moved ahead of the JPO to become the third largest. The fifth-largest office is the EUIPO, which began receiving applications in 2003 and reached a plateau in its number of filings, at around 25,000, in 2013. Unlike the other four offices, the EUIPO has a multiple design system. Applications filed at the EUIPO contained 98,162 designs in 2015.

China, which has more than half of world total since 2010, in 2015 received applications containing a total of 569,059 designs, up 0.8% from 2014.

Global ranking by total amount:

1. China
2. South Korea
3. Germany
4. USA
5. Italy
6. Turkey
7. Japan
8. Switzerland
9. France
10. Spain

Global ranking by per capita:

1. South Korea
2. Germany
3. Switzerland
4. Turkey
5. Spain
6. China
7. Austria
8. Denmark
9. France
10. Portugal

 

[Navin A]

Totally agree. I had discussions with a couple of respected Indian members about this issue. Education is THE key, all other programs like "Skill India", "Make In India", etc. will fall in place if you have a decent education system.

Also, ratify or destroy caste based quota's and promote scholarships based on merit for disadvantaged sections of the population. The framework needs to be reconstructed. furthermore more private players should be brought in line and they should have a cap on tuition and capitation fees. Heavy regulation needs to be implemented.

I guess we can provide an incentive to private institutions for government grants if they can provide quality education without substituting quality. We have a government who is getting back on its feet from a policy paralyse's, so albeit things are changing we just need to be persistence and ensure the right people are at command in the parliament.

 

[nang2]

China's rush to the patent game is actually detrimental to China. It will gradually kill off the competitiveness of Chinese companies. Precedents plenty. For example, how German chemical companies without patent protection killed British and French companies that enjoyed patent protection.

For anyone who would like to know the damage done by patent and copyright protection, I recommend a book titled "Against Intellectual Monopoly", which is freely available. It is a real eye opener.

 

[Dungeness]

Also, ratify or destroy caste based quota's and promote scholarships based on merit for disadvantaged sections of the population. The framework needs to be reconstructed. furthermore more private players should be brought in line and they should have a cap on tuition and capitation fees. Heavy regulation needs to be implemented.

I guess we can provide an incentive to private institutions for government grants if they can provide quality education without substituting quality. We have a government who is getting back on its feet from a policy paralyse's, so albeit things are changing we just need to be persistence and ensure the right people are at command in the parliament.

Agree on most of your points, but I have reservation on "quota" issue. In the US, it is called "Affirmative Action". In China minorities also enjoy some preferential policies, like additional points to go to public universities; exempt from "one-child" policy, etc. It is the way to give a level playground to disadvantaged groups.

 

[AndrewJin]

Yes, other than patents, another key IP is industrial designs. I have posted patents data in post #2, so here we go about:

Industrial Designs

Patent filings since 1883

Between 1883 and the early 1950s, the Japan Patent Office (JPO) and the USPTO averaged similar numbers of applications, rarely exceeding 10,000. The JPO received the largest number of applications from the 1950s to the late 1990s, reaching about 50,000 annual filings at its peak. SIPO began receiving applications in 1985 and saw unprecedented growth, from 640 in 1985 to 660,000 in 2013. It experienced its first drop in 2014. KIPO surpassed the JPO in 2004, and has remained the second-largest office since then. In 2012, the USPTO moved ahead of the JPO to become the third largest. The fifth-largest office is the EUIPO, which began receiving applications in 2003 and reached a plateau in its number of filings, at around 25,000, in 2013. Unlike the other four offices, the EUIPO has a multiple design system. Applications filed at the EUIPO contained 98,162 designs in 2015.

China, which has more than half of world total since 2010, in 2015 received applications containing a total of 569,059 designs, up 0.8% from 2014.

View attachment 355000

Global ranking by total amount:

1. China
2. South Korea
3. Germany
4. USA
5. Italy
6. Turkey
7. Japan
8. Switzerland
9. France
10. Spain

View attachment 355001

Global ranking by per capita:

1. South Korea
2. Germany
3. Switzerland
4. Turkey
5. Spain
6. China
7. Austria
8. Denmark
9. France
10. Portugal

View attachment 355002

Frankly speaking, I am really really surprised by China's per capita number....
China's urbanisation rate is only 50%, a large number of counties await secondary industrialisation.
The potential is still huge!

Agree on most of your points, but I have reservation on "quota" issue. In the US, it is called "Affirmative Action". In China minorities also enjoy some preferential policies, like additional points to go to public universities; exempt from "one-child" policy, etc. It is the way to give a level playground to disadvantaged groups.

Yes, I fully agree disadvantaged groups should enjoy some extent of "quota".
I also have no issue on the fact that investment is prioritised on less developed regions in China.

 

[Navin A]

Agree on most of your points, but I have reservation on "quota" issue. In the US, it is called "Affirmative Action". In China minorities also enjoy some preferential policies, like additional points to go to public universities; exempt from "one-child" policy, etc. It is the way to give a level playground to disadvantaged groups.

valid point in highlighting the concerns you raised, we need to look at removing the classification of caste & completing an assessment surrounding the financial criterion of students. If they belong to either the poor or rich end of the spectrum.