UK Patent Office Reveals National Patents Still Favoured

by Robin Pilgrim, LawAndTax-News.com, London

13 August 2003

In its recently released annual report, the UK Patent Office revealed that national patents are still important to the country's inventors and entrepreneurs, despite an increasing focus globally on international patent agreements.

The Patent Office announced that in 2002, it granted 3,310 patents, with the European Patent Office granting a further 2,134 patents to domestic applicants from the UK.

The report noted that:

'This demonstrates the continuing importance of the national system for UK domestic inventors and industry. Of the total of 47,384 patents granted by the EPO to all applicants, 43,899 (93%) covered the UK, an indication of the importance of the UK market.'

According to Patent Office figures, applications designating the UK under the Madrid Protocol (which allows trademark owners to protect their marks in several countries by filing one application, in one language, and with one set of fees payable in Swiss francs) fell from 9,911 in 2001 to 8,488 in 2002. However these numbers are likely to improve now that the United States has acceded to the Madrid System.

Recommended