All time high number of European patents granted in 2016

Last year saw a record in granted patents published by EPO (European Patent Office). A total of 96 000 patents were granted, which is a 40% increase from 2015.

The number of patent filings at EPO was also unusually high. Over 296 000 filings were made in 2016, a rise of 6% in comparison to the previous year.

According to EPO, the record figures are ”an indicator of the growing demand for patent protection from businesses worldwide.”

The five countries with the largest number of European patent applications are currently the US, Germany, Japan, France and Switzerland.

For further information, please visit EPO.