Continued growth in demand for European patents

EPO receives record number of applications in 2023

The European Patent Office (EPO) has announced that it received a record 199,275 patent applications in 2023, an increase of 2.9% compared to the previous year. This marks the fourth consecutive year of growth in demand for European patents.

The growth in demand for European patents is being driven by a number of factors, including the increasing globalisation of innovation, the rise of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and biotechnology, and the increasing importance of intellectual property protection in the digital economy.

The EPO's President, António Campinos, said: "The continued growth in demand for European patents is a testament to the strength of the European innovation ecosystem. It shows that Europe is a hub for innovation, and that businesses and inventors are increasingly recognising the value of protecting their intellectual property in Europe."

The EPO's patent applications come from a wide range of countries, with the top five countries being Germany, the United States, China, Japan and France. The most popular technology fields for patent applications are medical technology, digital communication, computer technology, transport and measurement.