China ramps up patent activity as Europe and the UK fall behind – IAM
China has cemented its position as the world’s most prolific patent-filer after lodging 928,000 applications in 2014, stoking fears of Chinese patent-holders launching high profile court cases.
Patent applications grew by 12 per cent in China between 2013-14 as state-backed financial incentives and higher spending on research saw firms flocking to seek legal protection for their inventions, according to data compiled by intellectual property magazine IAM.
Joff Wild of IAM said the quality of Chinese patents is often inferior to those granted in Europe and the US, leaving many Chinese firms at the mercy of litigious patent trolls.
Professor Sir Robin Jacob, chair of intellectual property law at UCL, told City PM: “The increasing number of patents coming out of China will probably result in more Chinese firms taking up litigation both inside and outside China.”