Demand for IP rights on the increase
A few days after the publication of the interview with Six Degrees IP on Fast Media Magazine the World Intelectual property organisation released a report that shows the demand for IP rights continued to increase. Here’s the introduction and the part about trademarks. This development shows the continued need for the awareness of IP rights in Stock Media and a proper approach to clearing these rights for commercial use.
A new WIPO report monitoring recent trends in intellectual property (IP) activity shows that demand for IP rights continued to increase prior to the onset of the global economic crisis, with 1.85 million patent (+3.7% increase over 2006), almost 3.3 million trademark (+1.6%) and approximately 0.62 million industrial design (+15.3%) applications filed worldwide in 2007. The report, World Intellectual Property Indicators 20091[PDF], points to a slowdown in demand for IP rights in 2008 (based on preliminary figures2), when the global economy experienced a sharp decline. The report also documents an increased level of unprocessed (pending) patent applications, reaching 4.2 million applications in 2007.
In the Report’s Foreword, WIPO Director General Dr. Francis Gurry said “History has shown … that companies and countries which continue to invest in new products and innovation during times of economic recession will be those that will be best positioned to take advantage of the recovery, when it arrives.” He noted that “IP statistics help us to understand the role of the IP system in stimulating and diffusing innovation, promoting markets for new products, and rewarding creativity. They also contribute to discussions and to the formulation of effective IP policies for addressing a wide range of public policy concerns.”
Trademarks
The report also offers an overview of trends in trademark activity up to 2007. In that year, some 3.3 million trademark applications were filed worldwide reflecting a 1.6% increase over 2006. Preliminary data available for 2008, however, point to a possible decrease in trademark applications.
China received over one-fifth of all trademark applications filed in 2007 and the USA received nearly one-tenth of such applications, followed by Japan and the ROK.
Global trademark registrations rose in 2007 to approximately 2.2 million, representing a 6% growth rate. Increased registration activity in Brazil is largely responsible for the stronger growth in 2007 compared to the previous year.
Residents of China and the USA each accounted for around 11% of global trademark registrations in 2007. However, only a small proportion of trademarks registered by residents of China are protected in other jurisdictions, whereas about 43% of trademarks registered by US residents are protected abroad. Non-resident applicants accounted for some 35% of trademarks registered worldwide.
In 2007, around 16.4 million trademarks were in force worldwide with Japan and the USA together accounting for around one-fifth of these, followed by France and Germany, each having around 1 million trademarks in force. Approximately 125,000 of the trademarks in force in 2007 were first registered prior to 1960, reflecting their sustained commercial value.
via WIPO Report Shows Growth in IP Rights before Onset of Economic Crisis.