China made 2,452 international patent applications in 2005 and
became the world's 10th largest user of the Patent Cooperation
Treaty (PCT), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
said in Geneva on Friday.
China's number of international patent applications reached
2,452 in 2005, a growth of 43.7 percent compared with the previous
year, said WIPO Deputy Director-General Francis Gurry, who oversees
the work of the PCT.
China ranked 13th in the list of top countries and regions who
made PCT applications in 2004, but in 2005, it dislodged Canada,
Italy and Australia to take the 10th place, the official said at a
press conference.
He said in 2005, over 134,000 PCT applications were filed by
different countries and regions, representing a 9.4 percent
increase over 2004.
The five top users of the international patent system remained
unchanged, namely the United States, Japan, Germany, France and the
United Kingdom.
And, for the second year running, the most impressive rates of
growth came from northeast Asia, namely Japan, the Republic of
Korea and China, which altogether accounted for 24.1 percent of all
international applications.
"The rate of growth from Japan, the Republic of Korea and China
continues to be exceptional, reflecting the rapidly expanding
technological strength of those countries," Gurry said.
"Since 2000, the number of applications from Japan, the Republic
of Korea and China has risen by 162 percent, 200 percent and 212
percent respectively," he added.
Inventors and industry from the United States represented 33.6
percent of all applications in 2005, while Japan, who unseated
their German counterparts in 2003 for the No.2 spot, maintained
their second place position with 18.8 percent of the total number
of applications.
Applications from the Republic of Korea accounted 3.5 percent of
the total in 2005, while China's applications accounted for 1.8
percent.
(Xinhua News Agency February 4, 2006)