Energy, artificial intelligence, digital media, medicine, transport … multinationals are clear that the critical sectors are the chicken of the golden eggs. This is reflected in the requests of European patents that business and state giants around the world took last year. In total they were 199.264 The requests to protect inventions and products with which to dominate the future of the European economy. The promoters of more than half of the requests were not, however, Europeans.
USA, Japan, China and the Republic of Korea took partmore than 51% of applications collected by the European Patent Office (OEP) in 2024. Thus it follows from the index that the institution updates annually, to which the world has had access.
The patent registration is the battlefield of the business colossi for the control of future technological developments. Those who dominate (and patent) the foundations of data processing, electrical infrastructure or new forms of mass communication will have some control over those who come behind, who must pay them royalties (royalties). This dynamic becomes special relevance in a context such as the current Cross fire tariff Between the US, China and the EU, precisely, to protect the same strategic sectors that monopolize that commercial appetite.
It especially highlights China’s trajectory if the historical series is observed. In 2015, the first year of which there are records, the office collected 5,728 applications with origin in the Asian giant. Almost a decade later, its activity translated into 20,081 requests, a 250% more. “We believed that this year China would overcome Japan, but finally due to certain changes in the priorities of some of its companies, it has been slightly below,” he says LuisBenguerOP spokesman, in a call with this newspaper.
In 2024, the United States was the country that, individually, brought together a greater share, with 47,787 applications, 24%. Although he has gained weight, Washington’s trajectory in the European patent market has remained more stable. The introduction in 2023 of the unitary patent, with which with a single procedure a company protects its invention in all participating countries (Spain is not one of them), it has been a revulsive for office activity. Berenguer says that, for example, for the US giants it has been an inception, because “there they see Europe as a single market.”
Samsung He was the largest patent applicant at the OEP in 2024, with 5,107 files. The South Korean giant headed the ranking for the last time in 2020 and, last year, again occupied the first place to the detriment of China Huaweiwhich went down to second position with 4,322. The Korean LG It was in third place. Although Japan is the third country by volume of applications (10.6%), the only Japanese ranking company is Sony, in ninth place. The Qualcomm chips giant and the defense group RTXboth from the US, ended in fourth and fifth position. You have to go down to the second half of the table to find European signatures: Siemens, Basf y Bosch. The three are from Germany, second geography for request of requests.
Where is Spain?
Although it is still far from the medallero, Spain has significantly improved its weight in this photo. In the last decade, in fact, it is the European country among the most active (with more than 2,000 requests a year) that has increased its annual volume the most. With 2,192 patent requests in 2024, its growth rate since 2015 is 44%. Its quota, of 1.1%, still is that of other large European economies, such as Germany (12.6%), France (5.5%) or Italy (2.4%).
“Spain, with a couple of exceptions, has been growing by 2 or 3% per year since the last ten years, and has a long way to go, but is touring it,” says Berenguer, who emphasizes that an increase in the patent record is thermometer of the advances in the industrialization of a country.
It is not strange that the CCAA of greater industrial tradition stand out despite Madrid, which has the drag effect of the capital. Catalonia revalidates as undisputed leaderwith 724 applications in the OEP, 33% of the national total, rising with the 18th position of the European regions ranking. It follows him from afar Madridwith 413 applications (18.8% on the total) and, thirdly, the Basque Country (14.9%) that registered 326 requests, 24.4% more than in 2023.
Innovation at the national level is still led by the public sector, with the Higher Center for Scientific Research (CSIC) at the head, and universities. The tourist group stands out in the private front Amadeus (43), Basque Technalia (24) and Telefónica (21).