The European Patent Office announced a 3% rise in patent filings in 2014. The amount of filings has been steadily growing for the fifth year in a row.
According to the President of the European Patent Office, Benoit Battistelli, this confirms Europe’s continued strength as a hub for innovation.
The rise in filings can mainly be attributed to filings from outside Europe, with an almost 7% increase of filings from US and an almost 17% of increase in filings from China. Filings originating from Europe have remained stable.
Although it is positive that companies from outside Europe apparently see a lot of potential in the European market and want to protect their innovations, these figures also illustrate the continued need to encourage European companies to protect their own innovations if they want to remain competitive in their own back yard.
Article Published March 30th, 2015
