China is seen as having a weak record on intellectual property, but 130,000 patents were filed in Bejing in 2004, the most recently measured year. Of those, 65,000 were filed by Chinese people, which represents a six fold increase in patent filings in 10 years.
"Patent statistics are increasingly recognised as useful indicators of inventive activity and of technology flows," said the WIPO report on worldwide patent registration patterns.
WIPO has compiled the statistics which show patent filing numbers across the world and distinguish between filings by residents and by foreign people and companies.
"The report shows a marked increase in the use of the patent system internationally," said Dr Kamil Idris, director general of WIPO. "It shows that the patent system is being used for its intended purposes, namely to stimulate innovation and promote economic activity."
The number of patents filed worldwide has almost doubled in the past 20 years. The annual growth of patent filing numbers rate has been similar to the growth of global gross domestic product, the report found.
The most significant increases in filings have been caused by international companies filing patents in many countries. "The bulk of the increase in total filings is accounted for by international patent applications," said a WIPO statement. "Large increases in foreign patents filings in countries like Brazil, China, India, Korea and Mexico reflect the internationalisation of markets and production."
"Companies seeking new export markets or investing overseas are keen on protecting their inventions in these key emerging economies," said the statement.
WIPO found, though, that the use of patents is still highly concentrated in a few hands, and that five patent offices still account for 75%. Those five are the offices of the US, Japan, Europe, South Korea and China.
