The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have unveiled the results of their study Mapping Global Trade in Fakes 2025: Global Trends and Enforcement Challenges.

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the global patent landscape in the field of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) technologies, focusing on three key areas: Prediction, Detection, and Protection technologies. These innovations aim to enhance workplace safety through advanced methods like statistical analysis, machine learning, and real-time monitoring systems. The study reveals a dynamic field driven by technological advancements, regulatory requirements, and increasing awareness of workplace hazards.

 In the dynamic landscape of global innovation, Belgium emerges as a beacon of creativity, particularly highlighted by its strides in biotech patents amidst a backdrop of modest declines in overall patent applications, as per the latest data released by the European Patent Office (EPO). Read the article in The Brussels Times.

See The global landscape of biotech innovation: state of play - European Commission (europa.eu) for an analysis of patented biotechnology inventions worldwide that shows how the EU positions itself compared to the US and China.

USPTO intends to negotiate and award a contract to Accenture Federal Services for its Patent Search Artificial Intelligence capabilities. Read more at FedScoop

A better patent system for Europe

The Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court are the building blocks which supplement and strengthen the existing centralised European patent granting system. They offer users a cost-effective option for patent protection and dispute settlement across Europe.

Unitary Patent

Unitary Patents make it possible to get patent protection in 17 EU Member States by submitting a single request to the EPO, making the procedure simpler and more cost effective for applicants.

Unified Patent Court

The Unified Patent Court (UPC) is an international court set up by participating EU Member States to deal with the infringement and validity of both Unitary Patents and European patents, putting an end to costly parallel litigation and enhancing legal certainty.

Yann Ménière, EPO Chief Economist and Aidan Kendrick, EPO Chief Business Analyst, discuss the key patenting trends at the EPO in 2022. Increasing demand for European patents has been driven by companies outside Europe. Many digital technology fields show strong growth, whilst patent filings in some areas of chemistry and mechanical engineering are stagnating or in decline. (Presentation)

From a global perspective, Europe and the US are leading innovation in plastic recycling and alternative plastics technologies, a new study published today by the European Patent Office (EPO) shows. Europe and the US each accounted for 30% of patenting activity worldwide in these sectors between 2010 and 2019, or 60% combined. Within Europe, Germany posted the highest share of patent activity in both plastic recycling and bioplastic technologies (8% of global total), while France, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium stand out for their higher specialisation in these fields.
Read more at EPO News.