The latest report shows that China-based companies and institutions remained the most active in patent filings, and CATL expressed a strong will to fortify its leading status.
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) released its annual ranking in patent, trademark, and industrial design filings. According to the report, the overall patent filing through its Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) system declined by 1.8% year-on-year to 272,600 cases in 2023, the first drop in 14 years due to rising interest rates and economic uncertainty. China continued to lead in the ranking with 69,610 cases in 2023, down from 70,017 a year ago, followed by the US and Japan.
WIPO said in a press release that higher interest rates and economic uncertainties cast a shadow on innovation activity in 2023. Still, declining inflation rates forecast for 2024 and hotspots like India and Southeast Asia may provide more business confidence and innovation investments.
While some countries experienced slower growth rates, others surged ahead. Among the top 15 countries, India and Turkey notably recorded the swiftest growth rates at 44.58% and 8.47%, respectively. The Netherlands, France, and South Korea witnessed an uptick in patent applications. By sector, computer technology accounted for 10.2% of global patent filings, followed closely by digital communication (9.4%), electrical machinery, medical technology, and pharmaceuticals. Those five sectors constituted about 40% of all patent filings through the PCT system in 2023.
By patent applicants, Huawei remained in its leading position with 6,494 patent filings, followed by Samsung Electronics's 4,387 and Qualcomm's 3,855. The number of patent applications by CATL surged from 266 the previous year to 1,799 in 2023, propelling its ranking from 84th globally to 8th, indicating a strong will to cement its leading status and safeguard its innovations and technologies. Meanwhile, Beijing Zitiao Network Technology and Meta saw its patent filing spike over the past year.
Global patent filing by applicant | ||||||
2023 overall position in PCT ranking | Position changed in overall PCT ranking | Applicant's Name | Origin | 2022 | 2023 | Change (%) |
1 | 0 | Huawei Technologies | China | 7,689 | 6,494 | -15.54 |
2 | 0 | Samsung Electronics | Republic of Korea | 4,387 | 3,924 | -10.55 |
3 | 0 | Qualcomm | US | 3,855 | 3,410 | -11.54 |
4 | 0 | Mitsubishi Electric | Japan | 2,320 | 2,152 | -7.24 |
5 | 2 | BOE Technology Group | China | 1,884 | 1,988 | 5.52 |
6 | 3 | LG Electronics Inc. | Republic of Korea | 1,793 | 1,887 | 5.24 |
7 | -2 | Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (Publ) | Sweden | 2,158 | 1,863 | -13.67 |
8 | 84 | CATL | China | 266 | 1,799 | 576.32 |
9 | -3 | Guang Dong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications | China | 1,963 | 1,766 | -10.04 |
10 | -3 | Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation | Japan | 1,884 | 1,760 | -6.58 |
11 | 2 | ZTE Corporation | China | 1,479 | 1,738 | 17.51 |
12 | -2 | Panasonic Intellectual Property Management | Japan | 1,776 | 1,722 | -3.04 |
13 | -2 | Vivo Mobile Communication | China | 1,515 | 1,631 | 7.66 |
14 | 7 | Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software | China | 913 | 1,603 | 75.58 |
15 | -1 | NEC Corporation | Japan | 1,428 | 1,592 | 11.48 |
16 | -4 | Sony Group Corporation | Japan | 1,513 | 1,433 | -5.29 |
17 | 0 | LG Energy Solution, Ltd. | Republic of Korea | 1,186 | 1,423 | 19.98 |
18 | -2 | Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC | US | 1,271 | 1,350 | 6.22 |
19 | -4 | Robert Bosch Corporation | Germany | 1,290 | 1,307 | 1.32 |
20 | -1 | Murata Manufacturing | Japan | 1,043 | 1,051 | 0.77 |
Source: WIPO, March 2024
Top 10 patent applicants by growth | ||||||
2023 overall position in PCT ranking | Position changed in overall PCT ranking | Applicant's Name | Origin | 2022 | 2023 | Change (%) |
8 | 84 | CATL | China | 266 | 1,799 | 576.32 |
27 | 58 | Beijing Zitiao Network Technology | China | 278 | 810 | 191.37 |
50 | 121 | Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC | US | 164 | 437 | 166.46 |
30 | 42 | Honor Device | China | 304 | 753 | 147.7 |
14 | 7 | Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software | China | 913 | 1,603 | 75.58 |
32 | 21 | Qingdao Haier Air Conditioner General. | China | 470 | 706 | 50.21 |
33 | 17 | Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology | China | 486 | 696 | 43.21 |
21 | 9 | NTT Docomo, Inc. | Japan | 764 | 1,016 | 32.98 |
36 | 9 | Kyocera Corporation | Japan | 508 | 632 | 24.41 |
22 | 7 | Changxin Memory Technologies, Inc. | China | 786 | 954 | 21.37 |
Source: WIPO, March 2024
Top 10 patent filing origin | |||
Origin | 2022 | 2023 Estimate | Change (%) |
China | 70,017 | 69,610 | -0.58 |
USA | 58,823 | 55,678 | -5.35 |
Japan | 50,351 | 48,879 | -2.92 |
Republic of Korea | 22,023 | 22,288 | 1.2 |
Germany | 17,469 | 16,916 | -3.17 |
France | 7,761 | 7,916 | 2 |
UK | 5,716 | 5,586 | -2.27 |
Switzerland | 5,446 | 5,382 | -1.18 |
Sweden | 4,481 | 4,323 | -3.53 |
Netherlands | 4,025 | 4,258 | 5.79 |
Source: WIPO, March 2024
