Table 6-21
Share and activity index of ICT patents granted by USPTO and EPO, by inventors from selected regions/countries: 1993, 1999, and 2006
 
 
    1993   1999   2006
Agency and region/country   Share (%)   Activity index   Share (%)   Activity index   Share (%)   Activity index
 
USPTO                        
All regions (number)    25,830    na    51,258    na    77,982    na
United States   48.0   0.89   51.5   0.95   50.4   0.98
Asia   37.9   1.52   35.4   1.39   34.6   1.17
EU   11.4   0.68   10.0   0.64   10.8   0.76
EPO                        
All regions (number)   8,643   na   9,803   na   17,256   na
United States   27.1   1.20   28.4   1.14   25.5   1.13
Asia   31.1   1.49   33.5   1.60   29.2   1.38
EU   38.5   0.76   34.2   0.71   40.1   0.80
 

na = not applicable;

EPO = European Patent Office; EU = European Union; ICT = information and communications technologies; USPTO = U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

NOTE: ICT includes telecommunications, consumer electronics, computers and office machinery, and other ICT as defined by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Patent counts on fractional-count basis. For patent grants with multiple inventors from different countries, each country receives fractional credit based on proportion of its participating inventors. ICT activity index is region/country's share of ICT patents adjusted for its share of all patents. Asia includes China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. China includes Hong Kong.

SOURCES: OECD, Patent database, http://stats.oecd.org/wbos/default.aspx?DatasetCode=PATS_IPC, accessed 15 February 2007. See appendix tables 6-45 to 6-47.

Science and Engineering Indicators 2008