Recently, the WIPO released the statistics data on global intellectual property applications in 2023. The data shows that in 2023, the number of PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) international patent applications worldwide amounted to 272,600, decreasing 1.8% from the previous year. China continued to be the top origin with the largest application volume of 69,610. The United States ranked second in the world with an application volume of 55,678, closely followed by Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Germany.

In terms of applicants, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. of China ranked first in the world with 6,494 PCT international patent applications, and Samsung Electronics of Korea ranked second, closely followed by Qualcomm of the United States, Mitsubishi Electric of Japan, and BOE Technology of China. Among the top 10 applicants, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. of China marked the fastest growth in volume, with an increase of 1,533 applications published in 2023, ranking from 84th to 8th.

In the field of education, the University of California of the United States was still the largest applicant with the highest volume, with Soochow University of China ranking second. The University of Texas system of the United States, Tsinghua University of China, and Stanford University of the United States followed. Among the top five educational institutions, Tsinghua University had the greatest growth rate.

Among the published PCT international patent applications, computer technology accounted for the largest proportion at 10.2%, followed by digital communication, electrical machinery, medical technology, and pharmaceuticals. The application volume in the five fields accounted for about 2/5 of the total published PCT applications in 2023.

(Source: People's Daily Overseas Edition)