© EPO
The increasing level of research expenditures by the Austrian economy is apparently driving patent activities on the part of companies. In 2017, 2,213 patents were registered with the European Patent Agency, a new all-time high. The rise of 8.2 percent compared to 2016 is the strongest growth generated over the last seven years, the EPA announced recently. As measured by the number of patents, Austria is rated twelfth in Europe, and seventh in relation to the number of inhabitants.
In total, applications originating from the EPO's 38 member states grew by 2.8% in 2017 and accounted for 47% of the total. The five most active countries of origin in 2017 were the US, Germany, Japan, France and China, which posted another double-digit increase (+16.6%) and overtook Switzerland to make it into the top 5 for the first time.
