NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--inovia, the leading foreign filing provider, today announced the release of its annual report, “The 2015 Global Patent & IP Trends Indicator,” an in-depth look at the filing strategies of U.S. and European patent owners. Now in its sixth year, the Indicator has become a definitive resource for identifying the trends having the greatest impact on the strategies of global patentees. For the first time this year, inovia included both European and U.S. respondents to provide a global resource for applicants looking at patent trends around the world.
This year, 130 applicants were included in the report, ranging from small enterprises (34% with 1-100 employees) to multinational corporations (21% with more than 10,000 employees). All respondents were involved in the strategy and planning of patent activity at their organization, with job functions ranging from General Counsel to CEO.
Key findings from the Indicator included:
- Filing internationally was on the rise: Compared to last year’s survey, filing internationally increased as 72% of applicants filed into 4 or more countries, showing an uptick in the number of average destinations per patent family.
- Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) was the dominant method of filing: 100% of respondents used the PCT for some or all of their filing needs, compared to the Paris Convention. Many respondents noted a cost-savings break-even point in deciding between methods: the more countries you file into, the more cost effective the PCT is.
- IP budgets remained consistent: The same percentage of respondents were working on a reduced IP budget in 2014 (31%) compared to 2013. 57% of respondents were not affected by budget cuts and in 13% of cases, budgets increased.
- BRIC countries now common jurisdictions: Over 83% of respondents began filing into BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and/or China) within the last 5 years. Only 15% had no plan to file into these jurisdictions in the near future. China is increasingly becoming an important filing destination and was ranked #2 behind Europe in importance in the 10-year foreign filing strategies of patent applicants.
“Each year we look forward to the release of the Global Patent & IP Trends Indicator,” Justin Simpson, Founder of inovia, recently remarked. “Since we started publishing this report over six years ago, much has changed in the IP landscape, including riding out a period of economic uncertainty. According to this year’s findings, IP budgets are increasing and filing overseas is on the rise. The future looks bright for our industry.”
inovia surveyed companies and universities through an online questionnaire. To download a free copy of this report, visit: http://www.inovia.com/resources/global-ip-trends-indicator/
About inovia
inovia is the global leader in foreign patent filing, having served more than 1,500 clients. Its global instruction platform, inovia.com, simplifies the PCT national stage entry, direct (Paris Convention) filing and European validation processes. inovia, a member of the RWS Group, has headquarters in New York, offices in London, Munich and Sydney, and agents covering over 130 countries, providing support in all major time zones and IP jurisdictions. inovia’s patented technology pioneered online foreign filing and is recognized among WIPO’s most notable inventions. For more information, visit www.inovia.com and follow the company on Twitter @inoviaIP.
