tech

2023 Global PCT International Patent Application Ranking: Huawei "cliff-like" No

Recently, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) announced the global PCT international patent application status for 2023. The total number of applications was 272,600, a year-on-year decrease of 1.8%. China once again topped the list of the largest PCT patent applicants, with a total of 69,610 PCT applications; the United States came in second with 55,678 PCT applications.

Looking at the applicants, Huawei filed 6,484 PCT patent applications in 2023, although this was nearly 1,200 less than in 2022, it still led the list and was significantly ahead of the second-ranked Samsung (3,924 applications). Qualcomm was in third place with 3,410 PCT applications.

In terms of 5G patent declarations, Huawei ranked first globally, followed closely by Qualcomm, Samsung, Ericsson, and Nokia. Apple Inc. was ranked 12th.

Additionally, Huawei is also a major contributor to the Wi-Fi 6 standard, contributing 281 proposals to the IEEE 802.11ax standard (Wi-Fi 6), accounting for 11.2% of the total number of proposals, as well as 477 related patents, representing 18.2% of the total number of patents, ranking first among wireless device manufacturers.

Among Chinese companies, BOE Technology Group ranked 5th in PCT patent applications in 2023 (1,988 applications), CATL ranked 8th (1,799 applications), OPPO ranked 9th (1,766 applications), ZTE Corporation ranked 11th (1,738 applications), vivo ranked 13th (1,631 applications), Xiaomi ranked 14th (1,603 applications), ChangXin Memory ranked 22nd (954 applications), Honor ranked 30th (753 applications), Haier ranked 32nd (706 applications), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology ranked 33rd (696 applications), Tencent Technology ranked 34th (677 applications), and ByteDance ranked 46th (492 applications).

Advertisement

Huawei Leads 2023 International Patent System Applications, Indian Innovators See Fastest Patent Application Growth

According to United Nations news, WIPO released data stating that in 2023, China and the United States remain the two largest users of the international patent system, but the number of cross-border patent applications submitted by both countries has decreased year-on-year. Against the backdrop of a slight weakening in the demand for international registration of intellectual property through the Property Organization, patent application activities in India, Turkey, and South Korea stand out, as these three countries have achieved year-on-year growth in applications for three consecutive years.

China Remains the Largest Source of Patent Applications

Among them, China continues to be the largest source of PCT applications, with 69,610 applications, a slight decrease of 0.6% compared to the previous year; however, this is the first time since 2002 that China's application volume has experienced a year-on-year decline. The United States ranks second with 55,678 applications, a decrease of 5.3% compared to 2022.Among the top 15 countries, India (+44.6%) and Turkey (+8.5%) saw the fastest growth in PCT applications. With the strengthening and expansion of India's innovation ecosystem, the number of PCT applications submitted by Indian innovators in 2023 increased by 44.6% compared to the previous year.

Huawei tops the list, but applications decline year-on-year

In terms of patent applications by companies, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. of China still leads in PCT applications, with 6,494 PCT applications published in 2023, a decrease of 1,195 compared to the previous year. Samsung Electronics of South Korea is in second place (3,924 applications), followed by Qualcomm Inc. of the United States (3,410 applications), Mitsubishi Electric of Japan (2,152 applications), and BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. of China (1,988 applications).

Among the top ten applicants, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) of China saw the fastest growth, with an increase of 1,533 applications in 2023, rising 84 places to eighth position.

Tsinghua University sees the largest increase in applications

In the field of education, the University of California (USA) remains the largest applicant, with 531 PCT applications published in 2023. Suzhou University (China) is in second place (332 applications), followed by the University of Texas System (USA, 217 applications), Tsinghua University (China, 209 applications), and Stanford University (USA, 180 applications).

Among the top five educational institutions, Tsinghua University saw the largest increase, with a rise of 35 in its published PCT applications.

Computer technology patents have the most applications

In terms of technological fields, computer technology accounts for the largest proportion of published PCT applications, at 10.2%. This is followed by digital communication (9.4%), electrical machinery (7.9%), medical technology (6.7%), and pharmaceuticals (4.7%). PCT applications in these five fields account for about two-fifths of the total volume of PCT applications published in 2023.

However, among the top ten technological fields, only four saw growth: electrical machinery (+8.8%) grew the fastest, followed by transport (+7.7%), semiconductors (+5.6%), and biotechnology (+3.8%).Computer technology, after seven consecutive years of year-on-year growth, experienced a decline of 3.4% in 2023. Similarly, digital communications also saw a decrease of 2.1% in 2023, marking the first decline since 2019.

International trademark applications also declined

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) also indicated that the total number of international trademark applications filed under its Madrid System last year was 64,200, a 7% reduction compared to the previous year. The United States had the highest number of international trademark applications filed by its applicants (10,987), followed by Germany (6,613), China (5,473), France (4,267), and the United Kingdom (3,817).

Among the top ten origins, only China (+7.7%) and South Korea (+2.9%) achieved growth between 2022 and 2023. In contrast, Germany (-14%), Australia (-13.9%), Switzerland (-12.4%), and the United States (-11.8%) experienced double-digit declines.

WIPO Director General Daren Tang believes that higher interest rates and economic uncertainty cast a shadow over innovative activities in 2023. However, he pointed out that the expected decrease in inflation in 2024, coupled with the potential for increased business confidence and innovation investment in hotspots such as India and Southeast Asia, will create conditions for the recovery of international intellectual property application volumes later this year.

Industrial design applications go against the trend

In contrast to the declining trend in the number of applications within the international patent system and the international trademark system, the number of industrial designs included in the international applications under the WIPO's Hague System reached a new high last year, totaling 25,343, a slight increase of 1%, and achieving growth for three consecutive years.

Among them, Germany remains the largest user of the international industrial design system, with 4,517 designs, followed by China (3,758), the United States (2,668), Switzerland (2,196), and Italy (1,817).

Among the top ten countries, China (+46.9%) and Turkey (+45.7%) achieved double-digit growth in 2023. The United States (+9.2%), Japan (+6.9%), and France (+4.7%) also saw strong growth in 2023.

Long-term positive outlook for intellectual property utilizationDeng Hongsen emphasized that long-term trends indicate that the use of intellectual property is steadily increasing in an increasingly globalized and digitalized economy, and is expanding globally with the economic development of countries around the world. For example, in international patent applications submitted through the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Asian countries currently account for 55.7%, compared to only 40.5% a decade ago.

He reaffirmed that WIPO is committed to promoting the widespread use of intellectual property on a global scale, especially for groups that have traditionally been underrepresented in the field of intellectual property, such as small and medium-sized enterprises, youth, and women. He said, "The enhancement of innovation and creativity anywhere (meaning new technologies, excellent brands, arts, and culture) will benefit all of us, no matter where we live."

*Disclaimer: This article is the original creation of the author. The content of the article represents their personal views. We republish it only for sharing and discussion, and it does not represent our approval or agreement. If you have any objections, please contact the backend.