The World Intellectual Property Organization's latest World Intellectual Property Indicators report reveals sustained growth in global intellectual property filings during 2024, with patents and industrial designs reaching unprecedented levels while trademark applications showed signs of stabilization.
Key Highlights:
Global patent applications increased by 4.9% to 3.7 million, marking the fifth consecutive year of growth
Industrial design filings rose by 2.2% to reach 1.6 million designs
Trademark applications stabilized at 15.2 million classes following two years of decline
Patent Leadership and Technological Trends
China maintained its position as the global leader in patent applications with 1.8 million filings, followed by the United States (501,831), Japan (419,132), the Republic of Korea (295,722), and Germany (133,485). Among the top 20 filing origins, India led growth with a remarkable 19.1% increase, followed by Finland (15.4%) and Türkiye (14.6%).
Computer technology remained the most active field in published patent applications, accounting for 13.2% of the global total. This sector has demonstrated exceptional vitality, achieving double-digit growth over the past decade. Electrical machinery, measurement, digital communication, and medical technology completed the top five technology fields.
Trademark Activity Shows Recovery Signals
Global trademark applications showed encouraging signs of recovery after two years of decline. Chinese applicants remained the most active filers with approximately 7.3 million classes across domestic and international applications. The United States, Russian Federation, India, and Brazil completed the top five filing origins.
Notably, several emerging markets demonstrated strong growth, with Argentina leading at 19.7%, followed by Brazil (10.4%) and Indonesia (8.4%). The research and technology sector accounted for the largest share of international trademark filings at 19.3%, followed by health and clothing & accessories sectors.
Design Innovation Gains Momentum
The industrial design sector experienced broad-based growth, with seven of the top 20 filing origins achieving double-digit expansion. China dominated design filings with 906,849 designs, while Germany, the United States, Italy, and the Republic of Korea rounded out the top five.
India emerged as the fastest-growing design filing origin with an extraordinary 44.9% increase, followed by Morocco (20.2%) and Indonesia (18.9%). Furniture and household goods, along with textiles and accessories, jointly represented the largest design sectors at 16.7% each of global totals.
Strategic Implications for Global Innovation
The consistent growth in IP filings underscores the critical role of intellectual property in today's competitive global economy. The robust performance across multiple IP rights categories indicates strong confidence in the IP system and reflects the success of government initiatives to foster innovation ecosystems.
For businesses and innovators, these trends highlight the importance of comprehensive IP strategies that encompass patents, designs, and trademarks. The particularly strong growth in computer technology and emerging markets presents significant opportunities for strategic IP portfolio development and international expansion.
As a professional intellectual property service provider, we remain committed to supporting our clients in navigating the evolving global IP landscape. Contact our experts to develop tailored strategies for your international IP protection needs.
Source: World Intellectual Property Indicators 2025, WIPO
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