Patent applications to the EPO by priority year by NUTS 3 regions, international patent classification (IPC) sections and classes
methods, notes and classification
DATA_DESCR Patents reflect a country's inventive activity. Patents also show the country's capacity to exploit knowledge and translate it into potential economic gains. In this context, indicators based on patent statistics are widely used to assess the inventive performance of countries. This domain provides users with data concerning patent applications to the European Patent Office - EPO, patents granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office - USPTO and triadic patent families. EPO data refer to all patent applications by priority year as opposed to patents granted by priority year, which is the case of USPTO data.Patents reflect a country's inventive activity. Patents also show the country's capacity to exploit knowledge and translate it into potential economic gains. In this context, indicators based on patent statistics are widely used to assess the inventive performance of countries.
CLASS_SYSTEM Patents are classified according to the International Patent Classification (IPC). Data in the EPO and USPTO collections are available at IPC section and class level. However, data by IPC subclass may also be obtained by requesting an ad hoc extraction. The International Patent Classification is based on an international multilateral treaty administered by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), i.e. the Strasbourg Agreement concerning the International Patent Classification. According to the IPC classification, an invention is assigned to an IPC-class by its function or intrinsic nature, or by its field of application. The IPC is therefore a combined function-application classification system in which the function takes precedence. A patent may contain several technical objects and therefore be designated to several IPC-classes. The IPC is structured into sections, classes, sub-classes, groups and sub-groups. The eighth edition of the IPC entered into force on January 1, 2006. Minor revisions of the IPC are likely to occur once or twice a year. áIn the course of 2010, a number of simplifications will be introduced in the IPC. These changes will enter into force on January 1, 2011.The IPC divides technology into eight sections with more than 70 000 sub-divisions. Each sub-division has a symbol consisting of Arabic numerals and letters of the Latin alphabet, which is indicated in each patent document. For further details on the IPC classification visit the WIPO web site at http://www.wipo.int/. Data broken down by sector are based on the Statistical classification of economic activities in the European Community - NACE Rev. 1.1. The regional breakdown of the EU Member States is based on the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statisticsá- NUTS. Metropolitan regions consist of groupings of NUTS 3 regions and are used as approximations of the main metropolitan areas.
STAT_CONC_DEF When a patent was invented by several inventors from different countries, the respective contributions of each country is taken into account. This is done in order to eliminate multiple counting of such patents. For example, a patent co-invented by 1 French, 1 American and 2 German residents will be counted as ╝th of a patent for France, ╝th for the USA and ╜ a patent for Germany. When a patent corresponds to multiple technological fields, not only the first code of the International Patent Classification (IPC) indicated on the patent is taken into account but all of them. See also annexes at the bottom of the page "Why collect data on patents?" and "Criteria used to count patents used in Eurostat's patent domain". The definitions of the technology areas are given in "Patent classifications and technology areas (see annex at the bottom of the page). Data on patent applications to the EPO and patents granted to the USPTO by priority year are available at the national level as follows: Total number Per million inhabitants Per million labour force Relative to Gross domestic product (GDP) in euro Relative to Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD) Relative to Expenditure on R&D in the Business enterprise sector (BES) EPO and USPTO data are also broken down by: IPC sections and classes High-tech patent applications/patents granted ICT patent applications/patents granted Biotechnology patent applications/patents granted Sector of economic activity (NACE) Institutional sector Navigation per satellite patent application EPO data only are also shown as: Nanotechnology patent applications Energy technologies patent applications (EPO and PCT applications) For most of the tables only the units: total number, per million inhabitants and per million labour force are available. A separate set of tables is devoted to 'Ownership of inventions'. Foreign ownership of domestic inventions Domestic ownership of foreign inventions Patent applications to the EPO/patents granted by the USPTO with foreign co-inventors As the methodology is different compare to other tables please refer to Annex document 'International co-operation in patenting'. The national distribution of patent applications is assigned according to the inventor's country of residence. If one application has more than one inventor, the application is divided equally among all of them and subsequently among their countries of residence, thus avoiding double counting. A separate table for Patent Co-operation Treaty (PCT) applications is also available. In this table data are broken down by applicant(s)'s country(ies) of residence.áHowever, the table on 'Energy technologies PCT applications designated to the EPO' is calculated according to the inventor's country of residence. Data on European and international co-patenting and on patent citations are available according to the inventor's country of residence and applicant's country of residence.
STAT_UNIT The statistical unit is the innovative activity within a country's borders that result in patent application to the EPO or in a patent granted by the USPTO.
STAT_POP The statistical population that is the base for this indicator is patent applications to the EPO, directly filed under the Patent Convention or to applications filed under the Patent Co-operation Treaty and designating the EPO (Euro-PCT) or patent granted by the USPTO. In the case of triadic patent data the indicator is based on patents that at the same time are filed at the EPO and the Japanese Patent office (JPO) and granted by the USPTO.
REF_AREA EU-27, EU Member Statesáá(BE, BG, CZ, DK, DE, EE, IE, EL, ES, FR, IT, CY, LV, LT, LU, HU, MT, NL, AT, PL, PT, RO, SI, SK, FI, SE and UK), Candidate Countries (HR, MK, TR), Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Russian Federation, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, United States, world. Data on patent applications to the EPO are given at the national and the regional level (NUTS 1, 2 and when possible also at NUTS 3) whereas data on patents granted by the USPTO and triadic patent families are only available at the national level.
BASE_PER Not applicable.
UNIT_MEASURE Besides total number and percentages these figures are also related to million inhabitants, million labour force, in percentage of GDP, GERD and BERD.
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