According to the data on global usage of intellectual property protection in 2021 released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), around 277,500 PCT international applications were filed during the year, up 0.9% on the previous year, maintaining an upward trend since 2010.

 

In 2021, China remained to be the largest user of the PCT for the third consecutive year, with a filing of 69,540 applications, an increase of 0.9% year-on-year. This was followed by the US (59,570 applications, up 1.9%), Japan (50,260, down 0.6%), Korea (20,678, up 3.2%), and Germany (17,322, down 6.4%). China's Huawei Technologies, with 6,952 applications, was the top PCT filer in 2021. It was followed by Qualcomm Inc. of the US (3,931 applications), Samsung Electronics of Korea (3,041), LG Electronics Inc. of Korea (2,885), and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. of Japan (2,673).

 

For WIPO’s Madrid international trademark system, filings surged 14.4% in 2021 to reach 73,100 filings, the fastest year-on-year growth since 2005. By filing volume, China (5,272 applications) ranked third after the US (13,276) and Germany (8,799); and Huawei Technologies of China, with 98 applications, was the top fourth Madrid filer after L’Oréal of France (171 applications), ADP Gauselmann of Germany (120), and Glaxo Group of the UK (110).

 

As for application of international industrial designs via the Hague system, filings rebounded after a sharp fall in the previous year, with designs contained in the applications growing by 20.8% in 2021 to reach 22,480 designs – the fastest growth since 2010. Germany remained the largest user of the international design system (4,469 designs), followed by the US (2,610 designs), and Italy (2,051). China (621) occupied the 10th place in the ranking; and among the top 10 Hague filers, China's Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co., Ltd. was ranked eighth.