UK Patent update
April 2007
The United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has reported a fall in the number of patents granted in 2006.
The number of patent applications fell by less than 2% to 25,745, compared with 26,192 for 2005. However the number granted fell by 22% to 7,907 from 10,159 for 2005.
The number of applications from abroad also fell by 5%, and the number of patents granted to foreign applications fell by 23%. The USA maintained its position as the leading country for applications originating abroad with 3,104 applications and 2,265 patents granted, though this was a drop of 11% and 22% respectively on the 2005 figures.
The small drop of applications may well be explained by an increasing concern by companies of the prohibitive expense of patent enforcement, especially as manufacturing increasingly shifts to China and India. This is likely to result in companies attempting to protect their innovations via alternative, though less enforceable, means. On a positive note, the fall in patents granted could be linked to improved assessment of applications by examiners, hereby strengthening the patent system.
Ian Lewis, Chief Executive of SAMIAN Underwriting Agencies Limited said “This news indicates that there is a real concern from companies about the expense of patent enforcement. It also shows that there is a desperate need for a solution that will enable them to continue protecting innovations through the patent system, but that also allows them to do so without placing their business at great financial risk. SAMIAN’s exclusive range of products meets this need perfectly with our IP Enforcer and IP Protector products. We believe that the market will grow extremely rapidly as more and more businesses become aware of the benefits of insuring their Intangible Assets.â€
