Patent Applications Soar in North East Asia(1/2)

The report shows worldwide filings of patent applications grew at an average annual rate of 4.7 percent in 2005, with the highest growth rates in North East Asia, particularly in South Korea and China.

By the end of 2005, it says about 5.6 million patents were in force worldwide. Topping the patent filing league are Japan, the United States, China, the Republic of Korea and the European Patent Office. The report says these five offices account for more than three quarters of all patents filed in 2005.

World Intellectual Property Organization Deputy Director-General, Francis Gurry, says China increased its patent filings by almost 33 percent over 2004, bumping it into third place in the rankings.

"Resident filings in China, so filings by Chinese in China increased over the 10 years to 2005 by 834 percent. That is a massive increase. And, in the Republic of Korea, they increased by 100 percent, 106 percent."

Gurry says the increase in patent filings reflects the country's commitment to becoming a hub of innovation" class="hjdict" word="innovation" target=_blank>innovation. Another interesting finding, he says, is that the rise in resident filings is mirrored by non-resident applications.