Global patent applications in 2018 saw a ninth straight yearly
increase, with China driving the overall growth in demand for
intellectual property (IP) rights, the World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO) said on Oct 16.
"Asia continues to outpace other regions in filing activity
for patents, trademarks, industrial designs and other intellectual
property rights that are at the center of the global economy,"
said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry.
"China alone accounted for almost half of all the
world's patent filings, with India also registering impressive
increases. Asia has become a global hub for innovation," he
added. According to WIPO's annual World Intellectual Property
Indicators report, innovators across the globe filed 3.3 million
patent applications in 2018, up 5.2 percent for a ninth straight
yearly increase, while global trademark filing activity rose to
14.3 million and that for industrial designs reached 1.3
million.
