Aenert news. Invention analysis
Towards the end of this year, WIPO and IP5 Offices published statistical results of patent activity in the world for 2022. After the relatively difficult two previous years, which passed under the sign of Covid, in 2022 political upheavals took over the baton of negativity. Under these conditions, the patent activity of inventors could not remain independent of external circumstances, although this can be tracked using the data presented only for new patent applications. According to WIPO, inventors filed approximately 3.5 million patent applications in 2022, of which 2.9 million were accepted by the top five IP5 patent offices (USPTO, CNIPA, JPO, KIPO, EPO). At the same time, the growth rates were: in 2020 – 1.5%, in 2021 – 3.6%, and in 2022 – 1.7%. The numbers speak for themselves. The growth rate in 2022 is almost identical to the data for 2020 (Covid) year. However, the main feature of the current situation is that over the past ten years the main driver of the patent process has been China, whose share in patenting has become dominant.


Source: WIPO. Figure A6

In 2022, 1,619,298 patent applications were filed by Chinese inventors, or 47% of the total. Given such statistical realities, there is no longer any talk of any intrigue in the competitive process between patent offices. China's huge patent statistical shadow suppresses all other previously interesting statistics changes in other offices.
For patents issued, the most accurate data for 2022 is for the top five patent offices (IP5), noting that these five offices account for 91% of the world's patents in force.


Source: five IP offices

In total, a little over one and a half million patents were issued here, which is five percent more than a year earlier. It must be taken into account that the patents issued reflect technical solutions filed as patent applications several years ago. Although indirectly the ratio of issued patents to the number of filed patent applications can demonstrate the quality level of technical solutions. But these relationships can only be revealed through a detailed analysis of patent databases.

As follows from these charts, China is leading here by a significant margin. According to a long-established tradition, in the USPTO and EPO the share of foreign patent holders exceeds the share of domestic inventors - 56.1% and 54.8%, respectively. In CNIPA, JPO, and KIPO the situation is the opposite, with a significant imbalance. In particular, China has a non-resident share of 9.6% for patent applications and 12.9% for granted patents. In general, on a global scale, the share of non-residents among patent holders is steadily declining.


Source: WIPO

A similar trend occurs in the case of patent applications. However, according to WIPO data, a number of large countries have very high proportions of non-residents. For example, in India this share is 74.5% (for issued patents), in Brazil - 89.4%, in Canada - 89.1%.

Important for patent activity is the share of active patents, the term of which usually does not exceed 20 years. In total, WIPO estimates there were 17.3 million patents in force worldwide in 2022, with a quarter of them in China, 3.3 million in the US, 2 million in Japan, and 1.2 million in South Korea.

However, as the chart below shows, the share of active patents relative to the total number of patent applications has been steadily declining over the past five years. Of course, this is primarily due to the rapid growth in the number of patent applications compared to the number of patents. At the same time, it is obvious that the average period of patent support is simultaneously decreasing.


Source: WIPO

Among the IP5 Offices, this process is observed the fastest with EPO. For other offices, the most typical period of support for almost 100% of patents is 5–6 years. Then an almost linear decline in this indicator begins. However, the USPTO has been slowing down in the last 2-3 years. Perhaps this suggests that patent holders receive the greatest practical return, or at least hope for it, from their inventions in the USA, and the least in Europe.


Source: five IP offices

Interesting trends can be seen in energy patent statistics. Thus, according to WIPO, for the period from 2006 to 2021, the number of patent applications related to solar energy is maintained at a constantly high level. The number of patent applications related to wind energy has increased significantly. This is less pronounced for hydropower. But patent activity in the field of fuel cell technology has noticeably decreased.


Source: WIPO

According to IP5 Offices, in 2022, compared to the previous year, the share of patent applications relating to Electrical machinery, apparatus, and energy increased noticeably, especially in EPO (+ 18%). Contradictory figures ranging from +5% to -3% were typical for Transport. Topics such as Environmental technology and Engines, Pumps, Turbines remained without noticeable changes.

By the Editorial Board