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International Patent Filings Recover in 2010

Geneva, February 9, 2011
PR/2011/678

Video, Press Conference, International Patent Filings Recover in 2010 Video Audio, Press Conference, International Patent Filings Recover in 2010 Audio

International patent filings under WIPO's Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) increased by 4.8% in 2010, with strong growth from China (+56.2%), the Republic of Korea (+20.5%), and Japan (+7.9%), offsetting a mixed performance in European countries and a continued decline in the United States (-1.7%). Provisional data indicates that 162,9001 international patent applications were filed in 2010 as compared to the 155,398 applications filed in 2009 (annex 1).

“Overall PCT filings recovered from the economic crisis-induced drop in 2009, almost reaching their 2008 level,” said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry. “The fast growth rates from East Asia reflect acceleration in the geographic diversification of innovative activities. This trend has many implications, not least an increased linguistic diversity of the technology that patent offices use as a basis for determining whether an invention is patentable.”

Despite the 1.7% fall in 2010, the United States remains the largest user of the PCT system (annex 2) with 44,855 international applications, followed by Japan (32,156 filed applications) and Germany (+2.2%, 17,171). China (12,337) overtook the Republic of Korea (9,686) in 2010 as the fourth-ranked PCT filing country. France maintained its 6th place position (-0.6%, 7,193), followed by United Kingdom (-3.7%, 4,857), Netherlands (-8.2%, 4,097), Switzerland (-1.6%, 3,611), Sweden (-11.6%, 3,152), Canada (+7.1%, 2,707), Italy (-0.8%, 2,632), Finland (-2.2%, 2,076), Australia (-0.2%, 1,736) and Spain (+10.3%, 1,725).

Top Applicants (annex 3)

Panasonic Corporation (Japan, 2,154) kept the top spot in the list of PCT applications published in 2010, followed by Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE Corporation (1,863), and Qualcomm Incorporated (USA, 1,677). A second Chinese company—Huawei Technologies (1,528)—occupies the fourth rank, followed by Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Netherlands, 1,435 applications), Robert Bosch GMBH (Germany, 1,301 applications), and LG Electronics (Republic of Korea, 1,298 applications).

The University of California (306) accounted for the largest number of applications published in the category of academic institutions. The top four university PCT users are from the United States (University of California, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Texas and University of Florida). The number of Japanese academic institutions in the top 50 university ranking increased from 6 in 2009 to 10 in 2010 (annex 4).

Fields of Technology (annex 5)

Digital Communication saw the fastest growth (17.3%, 10,581 published applications) in 2010. This technical field accounted for the largest share of total PCT applications published in 2010 (up from the third largest share in 2009). Almost every other field of technology experienced declines or modest growth. The sharpest decline in patenting was seen in the field of telecommunications.

The main fields of technology in which PCT applications are published are broken down according to the International Patent Classification (IPC) – a classification system designed to facilitate the retrieval of technical information found in patent documents worldwide.

Background

The PCT offers inventors and industry an advantageous route for obtaining patent protection internationally. By filing one "international" patent application under the PCT, protection of an invention can be sought simultaneously in each of a large number of countries. Both applicants and patent offices of PCT member states benefit from the uniform formality requirements, the international search and preliminary examination reports, and the centralized international publication provided by the PCT system. The national patent granting procedure and the related expenses are postponed, in the majority of cases, by up to 18 months (or even longer in the case of some offices) as compared with the traditional patent system. By this time, the applicant will have received important value-added information concerning the likelihood of obtaining patent protection as well as potential commercial interest in that invention. The PCT has 142 member states.

Annexes

(1) PCT international applications – Top 15 countries

Ranking Country 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 estimate 2010 percent 2010 growth
1 United States of America 51,280 54,043 51,637 45,618 44,855 27.5% -1.7%
2 Japan 27,025 27,743 28,760 29,802 32,156 19.7% 7.9%
3 Germany 16,736 17,821 18,855 16,797 17,171 10.5% 2.2%
4 China 3,942 5,455 6,120 7,900 12,337 7.6% 56.2%
5 Republic of Korea 5,945 7,064 7,899 8,035 9,686 5.9% 20.5%
6 France 6,256 6,560 7,072 7,237 7,193 4.4% -0.6%
7 United Kingdom 5,097 5,542 5,466 5,044 4,857 3.0% -3.7%
8 Netherlands 4,553 4,433 4,363 4,462 4,097 2.5% -8.2%
9 Switzerland 3,621 3,833 3,799 3,671 3,611 2.2% -1.6%
10 Sweden 3,336 3,655 4,137 3,567 3,152 1.9% -11.6%
11 Canada 2,575 2,879 2,976 2,527 2,707 1.7% 7.1%
12 Italy 2,698 2,946 2,883 2,652 2,632 1.6% -0.8%
13 Finland 1,846 2,009 2,214 2,123 2,076 1.3% -2.2%
14 Australia 1,996 2,052 1,938 1,740 1,736 1.1% -0.2%
15 Spain 1,204 1,297 1,390 1,564 1,725 1.1% 10.3%
  All Others 11,531 12,595 13,725 12,659 12,909 7.9% 2.0%
  Total 149,641 159,927 163,234 155,398 162,900    

 

(2) PCT international application by technical fields

  Technical Field 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Increase
Compared
with 2009
I:  Electrical Engineering
1 Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy 7,000 7,874 8,933 8,972 9,143 1.9%
2 Audio-visual technology 4,723 4,893 4,736 4,405 4,245 -3.6%
3 Telecommunications 6,401 7,369 8,014 7,331 6,230 -15.0%
4 Digital communication 5,972 7,574 8,731 9,022 10,581 17.3%
5 Basic communication processes 1,302 1,360 1,462 1,396 1,273 -8.8%
6 Computer technology 9,916 11,208 11,708 10,268 9,540 -7.1%
7 IT methods for management 1,662 1,963 2,458 2,167 2,058 -5.0%
8 Semiconductors 4,339 4,681 5,039 5,612 5,847 4.2%
II:  Instruments
9 Optics 4,089 4,270 4,548 4,312 4,178 -3.1%
10 Measurement 5,947 6,547 6,844 6,746 6,377 -5.5%
11 Analysis of biological materials 1,717 1,747 1,800 1,864 1,759 -5.6%
12 Control 2,348 2,389 2,526 2,387 2,102 -11.9%
13 Medical technology 9,640 10,478 11,069 10,454 10,465 0.1%
III:  Chemistry
14 Organic fine chemistry 5,976 6,057 6,107 5,677 5,511 -2.9%
15 Biotechnology 4,875 5,120 5,287 5,285 5,206 -1.5%
16 Pharmaceuticals 8,680 8,797 8,968 8,473 7,843 -7.4%
17 Macromolecular chemistry, polymers 2,994 3,064 3,135 3,085 2,812 -8.8%
18 Food chemistry 1,582 1,575 1,685 1,525 1,525 0.0%
19 Basic materials chemistry 3,897 4,400 4,711 4,676 4,567 -2.3%
20 Materials, metallurgy 2,369 2,555 2,798 2,755 2,859 3.8%
21 Surface technology, coating 2,595 2,594 2,668 2,466 2,436 -1.2%
22 Micro-structural and nano-technology 196 246 305 350 342 -2.3%
23 Chemical engineering 3,349 3,464 3,790 3,625 3,564 -1.7%
24 Environmental technology 1,700 1,972 2,232 2,216 2,131 -3.8%
IV: Mechanical engineering
25 Handling 3,754 3,984 3,900 3,721 3,619 -2.7%
26 Machine tools 2,651 2,834 3,202 2,951 2,710 -8.2%
27 Engines, pumps, turbines 3,181 3,615 4,132 4,380 4,288 -2.1%
28 Textile and paper machines 2,513 2,233 2,300 2,159 1,944 -10.0%
29 Other special machines 3,580 3,655 4,086 3,981 3,741 -6.0%
30 Thermal processes and apparatus 1,594 1,856 2,129 2,359 2,379 0.8%
31 Mechanical elements 3,461 3,852 4,404 4,136 4,002 -3.2%
32 Transport 4,814 5,300 5,966 5,834 5,455 -6.5%
V: Other fields
33 Furniture, games 3,397 3,653 3,635 3,279 3,078 -6.1%
34 Other consumer goods 2,752 2,933 3,161 3,005 3,000 -0.2%
35 Civil engineering 3,577 3,847 4,337 4,411 4,354 -1.3%

 

(3) Published PCT international applications by top applicants

2010 Ranking Position Changed Applicant's Name Country of Origin PCT application published in 2010 Increased over 2009
1 0 PANASONIC CORPORATION Japan 2,154 263
2 20 ZTE CORPORATION China 1,863 1,346
3 2 QUALCOMM INCORPORATED United States of America 1,677 397
4 -2 HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD. China 1,528 -319
5 -1 KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS ELECTRONICS N.V. Netherlands 1,435 140
6 -3 ROBERT BOSCH GMBH Germany 1,301 -287
7 0 LG ELECTRONICS INC. Republic of Korea 1,298 208
8 2 SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA Japan 1,286 289
9 -3 TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL) Sweden 1,149 -92
10 -2 NEC CORPORATION Japan 1,106 37
11 -2 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA Japan 1,095 27
12 -1 SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT Germany 833 -99
13 0 BASF SE Germany 818 79
14 5 MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION Japan 726 157
15 0 NOKIA CORPORATION Finland 632 -31
16 -2 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY United States of America 586 -102
17 0 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. Republic of Korea 578 -18
18 2 HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P. United States of America 564 10
19 -7 FUJITSU LIMITED Japan 476 -341
20 -4 MICROSOFT CORPORATION United States of America 469 -175
21 2 E.I. DUPONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY United States of America 452 -57
22 5 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION United States of America 416 15
23 8 MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD. Japan 391 18
24 3 CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA Japan 379 -22
25 56 HITACHI, LTD. Japan 373 183
26 0 BSH BOSCH UND SIEMENS HAUSGERATE GMBH Germany 371 -42
27 9 THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY United States of America 359 18
28 10 SONY CORPORATION Japan 347 19
29 13 NOKIA SIEMENS NETWORKS OY Finland 345 32
30 -12 NXP B.V. Netherlands 320 -273
30 5 SUMITOMO CHEMICAL COMPANY, LIMITED Japan 320 -26
32 7 KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA Japan 318 -9
33 15 APPLIED MATERIALS, INC. United States of America 313 17
34 0 THOMSON LICENSING France 311 -48
35 6 HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD. Japan 309 -9
36 27 COMMISSARIAT A L'ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES France 308 70
37 -8 BAKER HUGHES INCORPORATED United States of America 307 -68
38 2 THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA United States of America 306 -15
38 20 MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD. Japan 306 52
40 13 FRAUNHOFER-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG E.V. Germany 298 33
40 21 NTT DOCOMO, INC. Japan 298 49
42 -21 MOTOROLA, INC. United States of America 290 -248
42 8 PIONEER CORPORATION Japan 290 7
44 -19 SONY ERICSSON MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS AB Sweden 289 -146
44 2 DOW GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES INC. United States of America 289 -15
44 20 MEDTRONIC, INC. United States of America 289 53
47 -4 EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY United States of America 284 -27
48 -15 KYOCERA CORPORATION Japan 279 -83
49 1 ALCATEL LUCENT France 275 -8
49 5 FUJIFILM CORPORATION Japan 275 11
49 7 HENKEL KOMMANDITGESELLSCHAFT AUF AKTIEN Germany 275 14
52 -8 GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY United States of America 274 -33
53 -4 CORNING INCORPORATED United States of America 268 -17
54 -24 DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD. Japan 256 -118
55 17 KONICA MINOLTA OPTO, INC. Japan 252 38
56 11 BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION Japan 247 23
57 89 RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED Canada 217 107
58 18 LG CHEM, LTD. Republic of Korea 207 -3
59 6 PANASONIC ELECTRIC WORKS CO., LTD. Japan 206 -29
60 45 CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE France 204 55
61 5 F. HOFFMANN-LA ROCHE AG Switzerland 202 -23
62 6 ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC. United States of America 201 -20
62 26 INTEL CORPORATION United States of America 201 25
64 -10 SCHLUMBERGER CANADA LIMITED Canada 200 -64
65 27 L'OREAL France 198 28
66 5 NOVARTIS AG Switzerland 190 -28
67 25 NESTEC S.A. Switzerland 189 19
67 29 RAYTHEON COMPANY United States of America 189 25
69 99 NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION Japan 188 91
70 -1 FRANCE TELECOM France 183 -37
71 29 APPLE COMPUTER, INC. United States of America 182 23
72 15 ASAHI GLASS COMPANY, LIMITED Japan 181 4
72 53 KONICA MINOLTA HOLDINGS, INC. Japan 181 51
74 -15 RENAULT S.A.S. France 180 -73
74 -12 DSM IP ASSETS B.V. Netherlands 180 -63
74 653 HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION Japan 180 156
77 -18 ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG Germany 176 -77
78 -26 NIKON CORPORATION Japan 175 -92
79 -55 ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE Republic of Korea 174 -278
80 9 SHELL INTERNATIONALE RESEARCH MAATSCHAPPIJ B.V. Netherlands 171 -3
80 47 GOOGLE, INC. United States of America 171 42
82 -45 CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH Germany 170 -164
82 -13 EVONIK DEGUSSA GMBH Germany 170 -50
82 -9 OSRAM GESELLSCHAFT MIT BESCHRANKTER HAFTUNG Germany 170 -42
82 16 UNILEVER PLC United Kingdom 170 10
86 n/a SCHAEFFLER TECHNOLOGIES GMBH & CO. KG Germany 167 167
86 15 SHOWA DENKO K.K. Japan 167 12
88 n/a HUAWEI DEVICE CO., LTD. China 164 164
88 68 SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD. Japan 164 58
90 14 MERCK PATENT GMBH Germany 162 11
90 42 HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC. United States of America 162 37
92 21 BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM INTERNATIONAL GMBH Germany 160 21
93 13 AGENCY FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH Singapore 154 6
94 -11 FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC. United States of America 153 -28
95 -13 MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC. United States of America 152 -30
95 35 ARCELIK ANONIM SIRKETI Turkey 152 25
97 -5 AIRBUS DEUTSCHLAND GMBH Germany 151 -19
98 n/a MERCK SHARP & DOHME CORP. United States of America 150 150
99 -16 TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED Japan 147 -34
99 34 UNI-CHARM CORPORATION Japan 147 23
99 183 PEUGEOT CITROEN AUTOMOBILES SA France 147 87

 

(4) Published PCT international applications by top university applicants

2010 Ranking Position Changed Applicant's Name Country of Origin PCT application published in 2010 Increased over 2009
38 2 THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA United States of America 306 -15
103 4 MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY United States of America 145 0
115 16 BOARD OF REGENTS, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM United States of America 130 4
144 0 UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA United States of America 107 -4
145 33 THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO Japan 105 11
168 -22 THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK United States of America 91 -19
168 -18 PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE United States of America 91 -18
176 16 THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY United States of America 89 2
183 576 SNU R&DB FOUNDATION Republic of Korea 86 63
202 112 ARIZONA BOARD OF REGENTS United States of America 80 25
206 74 THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN United States of America 79 18
218 -7 THE TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA United States of America 75 -5
242 110 CORNELL UNIVERSITY United States of America 71 22
287 163 OSAKA UNIVERSITY Japan 60 22
291 -29 UNIVERSITY OF UTAH RESEARCH FOUNDATION United States of America 59 -7
291 42 THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS United States of America 59 7
302 -64 WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY United States of America 57 -15
327 -70 THE BOARD OF TRUSTESS OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY United States of America 54 -13
342 59 KOREA ADVANCED INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Republic of Korea 52 9
349 -16 CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY United States of America 50 -2
349 36 PURDUE RESEARCH FOUNDATION United States of America 50 5
357 93 DUKE UNIVERSITY United States of America 49 11
368 -101 WISCONSIN ALUMNI RESEARCH FOUNDATION United States of America 48 -16
376 -94 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA United States of America 47 -13
376 9 KYOTO UNIVERSITY Japan 47 2
376 265 INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY COOPERATION FOUNDATION HANYANG UNIVERSITY Republic of Korea 47 20
386 -1 ISIS INNOVATION LIMITED United Kingdom 46 1
414 117 YISSUM RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT COMPANY OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM Israel 43 10
430 7 TOHOKU UNIVERSITY Japan 41 2
430 42 THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL United States of America 41 4
443 47 EIDGENOSSISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE ZURICH Switzerland 40 4
448 -31 UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS United States of America 39 -2
462 -122 INDUSTRY-ACADEMIC COOPERATION FOUNDATION,YONSEI UNIVERSITY Republic of Korea 38 -13
462 -93 RAMOT AT TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY LTD. Israel 38 -9
462 55 KEIO UNIVERSITY Japan 38 4
462 89 NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY United States of America 38 6
462 120 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CORPORATION HOKKAIDO UNIVERSITY Japan 38 8
486 -76 IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINE United Kingdom 37 -5
486 241 INDIANA UNIVERSITY RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION United States of America 37 13
497 85 UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI United States of America 36 6
497 230 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CORPORATION OKAYAMA UNIVERSITY Japan 36 12
526 -76 THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO United States of America 34 -4
526 71 THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND Australia 34 5
526 115 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CORPORATION NAGOYA UNIVERSITY Japan 34 7
526 201 EMORY UNIVERSITY United States of America 34 10
559 -158 THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION United States of America 32 -11
559 -109 THE RESEARCH FOUNDATION OF STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK United States of America 32 -6
580 -143 POSTECH FOUNDATION Republic of Korea 31 -8
580 212 NIHON UNIVERSITY Japan 31 9
593 48 UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, BALTIMORE United States of America 30 3
593 267 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF CORPORATION HIROSHIMA UNIVERSITY Japan 30 10

 

(5) PCT international applications by countries

Country 2006 2007 2008 2,009 2010
Estimate
Afghanistan          
Albania 1       1
Algeria 3 12 10 8 2
Andorra 3 3 7 2 10
Angola         1
Antigua and Barbuda 1     5 1
Argentina 20 32 24 10 15
Armenia 7 4 7 5 5
Australia 1,996 2,052 1,938 1,740 1,736
Austria 911 1,009 953 1,024 1,070
Azerbaijan 13 7 4 8 1
Bahamas 19 39 30 26 21
Bahrain     3 1  
Bangladesh       1 1
Barbados 251 366 251 96 85
Belarus 19 9 10 19 11
Belgium 1,030 1,124 1,135 1,008 1,009
Belize 1 2 4 2 1
Benin 1   1    
Bhutan          
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)   1      
Bosnia and Herzegovina 8 13 9 11 14
Botswana     1    
Brazil 333 398 472 493 442
Brunei Darussalam 1        
Bulgaria 25 29 28 25 27
Burkina Faso     1    
Burundi 2 1   1  
Cambodia          
Cameroon 1 1 1 9 1
Canada 2,575 2,879 2,976 2,527 2,707
Cape Verde          
Central African Republic          
Chad         1
Chile 12 17 27 54 77
China 3,942 5,455 6,120 7,900 12,337
Colombia 27 44 37 63 48
Comoros          
Congo     1    
Costa Rica 6 3 8 4 3
Côte d'Ivoire         1
Croatia 76 79 56 38 51
Cuba 21 22 11 9 4
Cyprus 53 65 38 41 44
Czech Republic 107 132 155 178 135
Democratic People's Republic of Korea 3 2 7 1 2
Democratic Republic of the Congo     2    
Denmark 1,158 1,151 1,357 1,344 1,140
Djibouti          
Dominica       1  
Dominican Republic   2 5 1 3
Ecuador 7 2 4 4 26
Egypt 41 40 42 33 46
El Salvador     3 3  
Equatorial Guinea 1        
Eritrea          
Estonia 18 29 36 30 44
Ethiopia          
Fiji   1      
Finland 1,846 2,009 2,214 2,123 2,076
France 6,256 6,560 7,072 7,237 7,193
Gabon     1 1 1
Gambia          
Georgia 9 8 8 4 5
Germany 16,736 17,821 18,855 16,797 17,171
Ghana 1   3    
Greece 87 87 106 100 87
Grenada     1    
Guatemala   1 14 2 2
Guinea         1
Guinea-Bissau          
Guyana          
Haiti          
Honduras     3 1  
Hungary 144 166 173 142 166
Iceland 55 51 66 57 53
India 833 902 1,072 961 1,109
Indonesia 8 9 10 7 15
Iran (Islamic Republic of) 3 3 2 7 5
Iraq   1      
Ireland 428 422 481 482 424
Israel 1,593 1,737 1,899 1,555 1,481
Italy 2,698 2,946 2,883 2,652 2,632
Jamaica 1 1   2  
Japan 27,025 27,743 28,760 29,802 32,156
Jordan 6 22 7 1  
Kazakhstan 17 16 4 21 18
Kenya 4 3 1 5 4
Kiribati          
Kuwait 1 2 2 1  
Kyrgyzstan   2   1 1
Lao People's Democratic Republic         7
Latvia 17 21 18 24 26
Lebanon 5 2 1 2 4
Lesotho          
Liberia          
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya     1 4 1
Liechtenstein 76 68 371 55 68
Lithuania 10 13 18 23 10
Luxembourg 128 166 228 229 249
Madagascar     1    
Malawi          
Malaysia 61 110 206 224 302
Maldives          
Mali          
Malta 17 16 25 32 22
Marshall Islands 1 1     1
Mauritania          
Mauritius 7 10 3 2 2
Mexico 169 186 203 194 144
Micronesia          
Moldova 7 4 6 2 1
Monaco 16 5 17 13 15
Mongolia 6   3 2  
Montenegro 2        
Morocco 10 18 15 24 15
Mozambique          
Myanmar     1    
Namibia 1 2   4 26
Nauru          
Nepal          
Netherlands 4,553 4,433 4,363 4,462 4,097
New Zealand 354 400 358 301 273
Nicaragua         1
Niger       1  
Nigeria 1 1   1 2
Norway 611 595 630 630 699
Oman       2 4
Pakistan 3 4     1
Palau          
Panama 16 14 9 10 5
Papua New Guinea          
Paraguay          
Peru 1 1 2 10 7
Philippines 24 17 13 21 15
Poland 101 107 128 173 180
Portugal 68 93 98 163 117
Qatar       1 7
Republic of Korea 5,945 7,064 7,899 8,035 9,686
Romania 28 31 14 24 9
Russian Federation 687 689 763 711 560
Rwanda          
Saint Kitts and Nevis 1 3 1 2 2
Saint Lucia          
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines     3 3 2
Samoa 1   5 6 5
San Marino 5 18 9 8 5
Sao Tome and Principe          
Saudi Arabia 53 45 60 70 78
Senegal 3 1      
Serbia 8 23 37 26 19
Seychelles 10 6 17 9 10
Sierra Leone 2       2
Singapore 474 519 586 593 637
Slovakia 31 38 41 33 45
Slovenia 80 87 108 137 121
Solomon Islands          
Somalia          
South Africa 421 406 392 374 275
Spain 1,204 1,297 1,390 1,564 1,725
Sri Lanka 3 7 10 16 9
Sudan 2 4 3    
Suriname          
Swaziland 1        
Sweden 3,336 3,655 4,137 3,567 3,152
Switzerland 3,621 3,833 3,799 3,671 3,611
Syrian Arab Republic 7 2 5 9 12
T F Y R of Macedonia 2 5 2 2 2
Tajikistan          
Thailand 11 6 17 20 69
Timor-Leste          
Togo          
Tonga          
Trinidad and Tobago 3 3   2  
Tunisia 3 8 4 6 9
Turkey 269 359 392 389 401
Turkmenistan     1    
Tuvalu          
Uganda          
Ukraine 77 90 94 79 95
United Arab Emirates 15 20 24 28 29
United Kingdom 5,097 5,542 5,466 5,044 4,857
United Republic of Tanzania     1    
United States of America 51,280 54,043 51,637 45,618 44,855
Unknown 232 284 169 38 573
Uruguay 5 4 8 9 5
Uzbekistan 1   2   4
Vanuatu 1     1  
Venezuela 2 5 3 1 1
Viet Nam 11 6 6 5 7
Yemen       1 3
Zambia       1 1
Zimbabwe       1  
Grand Total 149,641 159,927 163,234 155,398 162,900

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1  Provisional estimate – WIPO continues to receive PCT applications filed with national offices in 2010 throughout the first half of the year.

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