Patent filings in 3D printing grew eight times faster than average of all technologies in last decade

A report published by the European Patent Office (EPO) today shows that innovation in additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, has surged in the past decade. The study, Innovation trends in additive manufacturing, finds that between 2013 and 2020, international patent families in 3D printing technologies grew at an average annual rate of 26.3% – nearly eight times faster than for all technology fields combined in the same period (3.3%)

Read more at Lexology.

Global patenting activity soared to new records in 2022, fueled by Indian and Chinese innovators, but an uncertain economic outlook is weighing on further growth.

Even as global filings for trademarks and designs dropped, innovators from around the world submitted 3.46 million patent applications in 2022, marking a third consecutive year of growth, according to WIPO’s annual World Intellectual Property Indicators (WIPI) report.

Owning Intellectual Property (IP) rights boosts startups’ ability to raise funds, especially for deep-tech industries with higher capital needs

The European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) have published a new joint study highlighting how much patents and trade marks can boost the success of European startups. The report shows that, on average, startups that possess these two types of intellectual property (IP) rights during their initial seed or early growth stages are up to 10.2 times more likely to successfully secure funding.

Blueshift IP’s Robert Plotkin examines how AI inventions can be patented if they meet all the legal requirements for patentability. Read more at Bloomberg Law

A better patent system for Europe

The Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court are the building blocks which supplement and strengthen the existing centralised European patent granting system. They offer users a cost-effective option for patent protection and dispute settlement across Europe.

Unitary Patent

Unitary Patents make it possible to get patent protection in 17 EU Member States by submitting a single request to the EPO, making the procedure simpler and more cost effective for applicants.

Unified Patent Court

The Unified Patent Court (UPC) is an international court set up by participating EU Member States to deal with the infringement and validity of both Unitary Patents and European patents, putting an end to costly parallel litigation and enhancing legal certainty.

Yann Ménière, EPO Chief Economist and Aidan Kendrick, EPO Chief Business Analyst, discuss the key patenting trends at the EPO in 2022. Increasing demand for European patents has been driven by companies outside Europe. Many digital technology fields show strong growth, whilst patent filings in some areas of chemistry and mechanical engineering are stagnating or in decline. (Presentation)

Belgische bedrijven, universiteiten en onderzoeksinstellingen hebben in 2022 een recordaantal van 2.604 octrooiaanvragen ingediend bij het Europees Octrooibureau (EPO). Het gaat om een toename met 5 procent ten opzichte van het voorgaande jaar, ondanks de wereldwijde onzekerheden, zo blijkt uit de EPO Patent Index. (Lees meer op MSN.com)

The 10th anniversary of the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) system was today celebrated at an annual meeting with industry, at which the EPO President delivered an opening address. In a message to more than 30 participants representing large companies, patent information user groups and commercial providers, President António Campinos hailed the CPC as "the most refined, complete, and powerful classification system in the world". He also underscored the importance of CPC to patent quality owing to the improved accuracy and search speed it enables. Read more at EPO