Analysing the global filing activities of UK patent applicants
This paper forms part of the IPO’s research into the drivers of IP demand, with a focus on the global filing activities of UK patent applicants.
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The trends in the patenting activity of UK applicants are analysed over time. The Intellectual Property Office (IPO), United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and European Patent Office (EPO) are offices that most frequently publish applications from UK applicants. Almost all applications are pursued in at least one of these jurisdictions.
Over time there has been an increasing tendency to pursue protection in China and in the USA. There has been a decline in the number of applications published in Japan.
The majority of applications with UK applicants fall into one of two categories. Patents for which broad worldwide protection is sought, including EP and US coverage, and patents that only seek protection in the UK. The former often relates to chemistry patents, and are more likely to be granted than those for which only UK protection is sought.
Applications filed with the IPO are often used to support a priority claim for further applications elsewhere. A common strategy is for the UK priority application to be withdrawn pre-publication. Patent protection in other jurisdictions is then pursued, including the EPO which provides patent protection in the UK.
The majority of applications that have a UK applicant do not have any co-applicants from outside the UK. Most applications from UK applicants with international co-applicants seek protection in the USA. The international co-applicant is also most likely to be American.
The majority of UK applicants only ever pursue one patent application. There has recently been a declining trend in the number of patent applications filed by these applicants. This contrasts with the activity of long-standing applicants with larger patent portfolios. Their activity has shown an increasing trend in recent years.
Smaller applicants are more likely to pursue protection only in the UK. Their patents are more likely to relate to consumer goods, furniture, games and civil engineering. Larger applicants have a greater tendency to pursue broad patent protection. They are more likely to pursue patent protection in the fields of chemistry and electrical engineering.