Portuguese innovation is expected to increase throughout Europe in the coming years, as predicted by the figures of the European Patent Office (IEP), which ended its activities in 2022 with 312 patent applications originating from Portugal, an all-time record and a growth of 7, 6% compared to the same period last year (290) and 40% compared to 2018 (221). This is the second consecutive year in which more and more companies and national inventors sought exclusive rights to their inventions from the authority, in contrast to the European Union (EU) average, which was -0.5%.
“Recalling that we are starting from a very modest base, we have seen a very interesting number of requests these two years, which shows that the country is increasingly betting on patents as a way to protect its technological innovations,” said Telmo Vilela, Senior advisor and representative for institutional affairs of the IEP.
Looking at the sectors, computer technology again took first place on the podium, with 38 orders delivered and a growth of 15.2% compared to last year. Closely followed by medical and pharmaceutical technologies, contributing with 36 and 26 applications respectively, making health the sector with the highest number of European patent applications in Portugal. Biotechnology, on the other hand, dropped to fourth place in the table, with 19 requests. In terms of evolution, the highlight goes to the digital communications segment, which saw a 433% increase compared to 2021, the technology with the highest number of patent applications in the IEP worldwide. Close by, also with significant growth, are coating technologies (300%) and chemical technology (200%).
In terms of applicants, the Portuguese unicorn Feedzai tops the list, with 20 patent applications filed with the organization. Universities and research centers in turn continue to actively contribute to national innovation: six of the top ten candidates in the IEP come from this sector. Companies such as Novadelta (13), NOS (9) and Altice (4) can also be put in the spotlight. In 2022, the North remained in the lead with a share of 36.2% of the volume of patent applications, followed by the Center ( 33.3%). The Lisbon region recorded the highest growth (38.6%) and contributed 25.3% of that value.
In total, the European Patent Office received 193,460 applications, a slight increase of 2.5% over the previous year, with 24.9% filed by the United States, 11.2% by Japan and 9.8% by China. Germany, for its part, remains the European leader in patent applications, although they fell by 4.7% last year. Globally, Huawei, LG, Qualcomm, Samsung and Ericsson were the top patent applicants in the IEP.
Patents in Portugal are declining
If, on the one hand, applications for European patents originating in Portugal increased, applications for industrial property rights (IPR) via the national route fell by 0.4%: while 919 patent applications were registered in 2021, that volume fell to 915 in 2022. Companies accounted for 41% of applications, followed by universities (21.5%), independent inventors (25.3%) and research institutes (12%).
While acknowledging that Portugal is a market with limitations, João Pereira da Cruz, European patent attorney and official industrial property agent, argues that the country should be at the forefront in this regard, as “innovative companies have competitive advantages over others because they are the ones who brought new products and new production processes to the market”.
There is work to be done for those responsible: “We must make entrepreneurs aware of the importance of industrial property, make them understand that it is not a cost item, but an investment. Rights are assets of companies, they value them. Ultimately, rights can now be even become important in providing bank loans for innovation. In addition, companies need incentives for innovation.”
Source: DN
