Bulgaria has seen a 4.7% growth in the number of European patent applications, according to official data of the Patent Index for 2022. At the same time, the European Patent Office (EPO) reported a record number of applications filed in the last 10 years - over 193,000. Year-on-year, at international level, the office's increase is 2.5%. The most notable growth globally is in digital technology - 16,705 patent applications, the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria (BPO) said Tuesday.
BPO President Vladia Borisova stressed on the satisfactory Bulgarian performance in the international patent field and on the fact that Bulgarian growth activity is above the European and world average. "This unequivocally means one thing - inventors in Bulgaria are increasingly aware of the advantages of patenting, including in obtaining protection at the supranational level", Borisova added.
The number of patent applications filed with the EPO has increased in seven of the ten patent-active technology areas, including in electrical machinery/apparatus/energy (18.2%) and in digital communications (11.2%), where the strongest growth was also recorded.
The volume of filings by country differs significantly, with a decline in patent filings from the largest European economy - Germany, which recorded a 4.7% decline. Significant increases were observed for Monaco (23.5%), Poland (17.8%), Ireland (12.3%), Czechia (9%), Portugal (7.6%), Switzerland (5.9%), Belgium (5%).