Top 5: Government PCT Applicants
Posted on Fri, Jan 20, 2012
The PCT system, in place for decades, has been gaining serious ground in recent years. The system allows inventors to achieve international patent protection more easily and affordably than would be possible by simply writing applications for each country. The WIPO collects data on annual PCT usage, including the activity of international government organizations. In addition to companies and individual inventors, government-funded groups are some of the more frequent patent filers around the world. These include government agencies, institutes, societies, and commissions. Here are the Top 5 from the 2010 records.
Similar to the U.S. Department of Energy, this French commission broadly researches technology, energy, life sciences, and military applications, among others. It took the top spot on the list for the first time in 2010, applying for 308 patents through the PCT system.
Not exactly a government agency, this research institution is 70% funded by its own contract work. The Society focuses on applied science and is comprised of 60 institutes, employing nearly 20,000 engineers and scientists. In 2010 the Society produced 297 PCT applications.
The “largest fundamental science agency in Europe” was founded in 1939 for broad scientific research for the public good. Today it is divided into ten institutes and employs over 30,000 people at a given time. They applied for more PCT patents each year from 2008 to 2010; in 2010 their number was 207
Smaller and newer than the previous entries, this institute nonetheless produced far more PCT applications than any other in 2008 and 2009, seemingly having an off-year in 2010 with only 174 applications. (Previous years had been 445 and 452). The prolific institute is on the cutting edge of IT.
The newest agency on the list, founded in 1991, is a broad research body. It seems to have an emphasis on biomedical research, but branches across many disciplines. In 2010 the agency applied for 174 PCT patents.
Check out our other Top 5 Lists: