WIPO report: China PCT application grows fastest in 2014

On March 19th, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Headquartered in Geneva, issued a report showing that in 2014 Chinese user submitted a total of 25,539 international patent applications through the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), an increase of 18.7% over 2013, which enables China the world’s only country that obtains double-digit growth. And Chinese user have become the big clients to WIPO on patent applications. 

According to the statistics of the report, the USA is still the country submitting the most international patent applications through PCT. And in 2014 the USA totally submitted 61, 492 international patent applications, an increase of 7.1%, accounting for 28.7% of the global amount. followed by Japan submitted 42,459 international patent applications, accounting for 19.8%, followed by China, whose international patent applications accounts for 11.9% of the global amount. 

The report shows that, under PCT framework, in 2014, China’s Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. submitted 3442 international patent applications, surpassing Japan’s Matsushita, and became the first among the world enterprises; Qualcomm from the USA ranked the second, with 2409 international patent applications; ZTE Corporation form China ranked third with 2,179 international patent applications. 

The report also shows that, among the companies from China, Tencent Technology, CSOT, BOE and Huawei Terminal respectively ranked the 17th, 23d, 34th and 46th. 

Francis Gurry, the Director General of WIPO held, the rapid growth of the international patent applications reflects the growing recognition of the importance of intellectual property rights, intellectual property rights are moving from the periphery to the center of the global economic system. And it was reported that, when Francis Gurry visited China in 2014, he pointed out that, as the process of integration with the world economy continues to move forward, Chinese enterprises had made significant progress in the globalization; China comprehensively deepened the reform and China’s IPR issue continued to make progress, both boosted the Chinese enterprises to better integrate into the world economy.
 
Some experts held that, the international patent application through PCT has become the testing ruler of China’s independent innovation capability. In recent years, rapid growth in China continued PCT international patent applications, and it is reflected in the promotion of China to improve market competitiveness and enterprise quality international operations.