IP5 Statistics Report: Slight Increase in Patent Applications at IP5 Offices in 2022

The 2022 edition of the IP5 Statistics Report was recently published. The report is an annual compilation of patent statistics for the world's five largest intellectual property (IP) offices ("the IP5 Offices"), namely, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), the European Patent Office (EPO), the Japan Patent Office (JPO), the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

According to the report, as of the end of 2021, 16.4 million patents were in force globally, representing a growth of 4% year-on-year. And among these patents, 91% were in force in one of the IP5 Offices' jurisdictions.

In 2022, a total of 2,934,231 patent applications, up 1% year-on-year, were filed at the IP5 Offices, with patent applications increasing by 2% at both the EPO and the CNIPA, and staying about the same at the JPO, the KIPO, and the USPTO.

Together, the IP5 Offices granted a total of 1,540,119 patents in 2022, up 5% from 2021. The number of granted patents rose in 2022 at the JPO and the CNIPA by 9% and 15% respectively, and dropped 25%, 7%, and 1% at the EPO, the KIPO, and the USPTO respectively.

Regarding PCT international applications, in 2022, the EPO, the KIPO, and the CNIPA saw a boost compared with 2021, with the largest percentage increase of 7% at KIPO. Together, 86% of the PCT international filings were filed at the IP5 Offices in 2022.

As for other work on IP rights not common to all five offices such as applications for utility model patent, design patent and trademark, in 2022, the number of utility model patent applications fell by 14% and 23% at JPO and the KIPO respectively, and grew by 3% at the CNIPA; the number of design applications reduced in 2022, by 3% at the JPO, 13% at the KIPO, 1% at the CNIPA, and 6% at the USPTO; and that of trademark applications also saw a decrease in 2022, by 8%, 9%, 20%, and 13% at JPO, the KIPO, the CNIPA, and the USPTO respectively.