A new report finds North East Asia is fast becoming the most innovative region in the world. The World Intellectual Property Organization says there has been an explosion of patent filings from countries in the region. Lisa Schlein reports from Geneva.
The report shows worldwide filings of patent applications grew at an average annual rate of 4.7 percent in 2005, with the highest growth rates in North East Asia, particularly the South Korea and China.
By the end of 2005, it says about 5.6 million patents were in force worldwide. Topping the patent filing league are Japan, the United States, China, the Republic of Korea and the European Patent Office. The report says these five offices account for more than three quarters of all patents filed in 2005.
World Intellectual Property Organization Deputy Director-General, Francis Gurry, says China increased its patent filings by almost 33 percent over 2004, bumping it into third place in the rankings.
"Resident filings in China, so filings by Chinese in China increased over the 10 years to 2005 by 834 percent," said Gurry. "That is a massive increase. And, in the Republic of Korea, they increased by 100 percent, 106 percent."
Gurry says the increase in patent filings reflects the country's commitment to becoming a hub of innovation. Another interesting finding, he says, is that the rise in resident filings is mirrored by non-resident applications. That is applications by individuals who request patents in foreign countries. This, he says, shows greater international commercial interest in foreign technology, as well as increasing international competition in innovation.
"The geographical coverage sought by patent applicants is increasing," said Gurry. "It is a measure of globalization. And, North East Asia has really become a major force technologically. We know that for Japan for quite some time. But, we are seeing continued explosive growth on the part of the Republic of Korea and China."
While North East Asia continues on its dynamic path, Gurry tells us the United States remains the world's technological powerhouse.
"It files internationally many more applications than any other country," said Gurry. "So, internationally it is filing 34 percent of all international applications. The next in line is Japan, which is about 18.8 percent of all international applications. So, it is a long way out in front."
Patent trends around the world show an increase in filings in the electricity and electronics sector. The WIPO report finds the three fastest growing technical fields are medical, audio-visual and information technology.
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一个新的报告指出，东北亚正在迅速成为世界上创新力最强的地区。世界知识产权组织表示，来自东北亚地区的专利申请呈爆炸性增长。
世界知识产权组织的报告显示，2005年全世界专利申请增长的年平均速度是4.7%。东北亚是增长速度最高的地区，特别是韩国和中国。报告说，到2005年底，全世界一共有大约560万个专利被批准。申请专利数量最多的头几个国家和机构是日本、美国、中国、韩国和欧洲专利局。报告说，2005年，这5个国家和机构的专利申请占全世界总数的四分之三以上。
世界知识产权组织的副总干事古利说，中国在2005年提出的专利申请比2004年增加了将近33%，使中国跃居世界第三名。古利说：“中国本地居民的专利申请就是中国人在中国提出的申请数量，从1995年到2005年这10年内增加了834%，增长幅度巨大；而在韩国，增幅是106%。”
古利：反映出中国想成为创新中心的承诺
古利说，专利申请的增加反映了中国想成为一个创新中心所做的承诺。他说，另外一个有趣的发现是，本地居民的专利申请同非本地居民的申请数量是以同样的速度增长的。非本地居民申请专利指的是专利发明人向其他国家申请专利。古利说，这显示，国际商业界对外国技术的兴趣在增加，这也加剧了在技术创新方面的国际竞争。
古利说：“专利申请人谋求专利的地理覆盖面积在扩大。这是全球化的一种措施。东北亚真的已经成为技术领域的重要力量。我们知道，日本成为世界主要技术力量已经有一段时间了。但是我们现在看到的是，在韩国和中国的专利申请继续呈爆炸性增长。”
古利对记者说，在东北亚快速发展的同时，美国仍然是世界技术的强大动力。他说，美国提出的国际性专利申请比任何其他国家都多很多。从国际领域来看，美国提出的国际申请占总数的34%，国际申请第二多的是日本，占大约18%，所以，美国在这方面遥遥领先。
全世界的专利发展趋势显示，在电力和电子领域的申请比例有所增加。世界知识产权组织的报告发现，专利申请发展最快的三个技术领域是医药、音像技术和信息技术。
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