The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) published data on patent registrations in 2023 – Huawei, Samsung and Qualcomm were among the leaders in new patent registrations. At the same time, companies from the Middle Kingdom are significantly ahead of their high-tech competitors from South Korea and the United States in terms of the number of patent applications. Despite numerous sanctions, Huawei has become the leader in patents received among all companies in the world.
A total of 272,600 patent applications were filed last year, down 1.8% from the year before. The leader here remains China, which accounts for 69,610 applications. The United States ranks far behind in second place (55,678 applications). WIPO determines the number of patent applications filed by companies through its Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) system. PCT patents are filed by companies that want to protect the rights to their inventions in multiple countries through a single international patent application. Some companies do not file such patents, so not all applications may be reflected in WIPO statistics.
As for individual companies, in 2023 the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies remained the leader in the number of patent applications, filing 6,494 applications under the PCT procedure. The second line of the ranking is occupied by South Korean Samsung Electronics with 3,924 applications, and the American Qualcomm closes the top three with 3,410 applications. The top five also included Japanese Mitsubishi Electric and Chinese BOE Technology, which submitted 2,152 and 1,988 applications, respectively.
In fact, the PCT's list of top 50 largest patent applicants is dominated by high-tech companies developing hardware, telecommunications technologies and software. At the same time, IT giants such as Apple, Google, Microsoft and Meta✴ were not included in the top 15 at the end of 2023. As for countries, despite some decline, China and the United States remain confident leaders. Companies from the Middle Kingdom registered 69,610 patent applications in 2023, while a year earlier this figure was equal to 70,017 applications. The US has seen a more significant decline, from 58,823 applications in 2022 to 55,678 applications in 2023. The top five also included Japan, South Korea and Germany.
There has been a significant increase in patent applications from Indian companies. The number of PCT applications in 2023 increased by 44.6% compared to the previous year, indicating a strengthening and expansion of the country's innovation ecosystem. Also during the reporting period, the number of patent applications increased in Turkey (8.5%), the Netherlands (5.8%), and France (2%).
The most notable technology areas with the largest number of PCT patent applications were computer technology, telecommunications, electrical equipment, medical technology and pharmaceuticals. These areas of activity accounted for approximately two-fifths of the total number of PCT patent applications in 2023. It should be noted that electrical engineering and transport experienced the highest growth rates among the main technological areas.
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