2024-03-18 23:00:00
The number of patent applications will increase by 2.9% in 2023 in Europe. But France shows a decline of 1.5%, and sees South Korea ahead of it.
In the world of European patents, France stands out in 2023. But unfortunately, not for the better. The number of patent applications in France fell by 1.5%, to 10,814, according to statistics from the European Patent Office (EPO). Among the top ten countries, only Japan, at -0.3%, is also in decline. The overall European market is in good shape with growth of 2.9%. At 199,275 applications, the volume of patents has never been greater in Europe.
Since 2019, growth has approached 10%. « There is a long-term positive trend, analyzes Yann Ménière, chief economist of the EPO. Innovation is becoming more and more central to business strategy. And the filing of patents allows it to be effectively protected. This explains why patent filings are fairly independent of the economic cycle. Crises can have an impact, as was the case with Covid, but it is only momentary. »
Also read: International patent filings down in 2023 for the first time in 14 years
Over the years, France has gradually lost places in this European ranking. In 2018, she ranked 4th. It was passed through China the following year. In 2023, it slips to 6th place, falling behind South Korea. On the other hand, France remains second if we only take into account European countries, behind Germany. The field of patents is largely dominated by the United States, with more than 48,000 patents filed (+0.4%). This single country therefore accounted for more than 24% of the total requests in Europe last year. Germany occupies the second step of the podium (24,966, + 1.4%), followed by Japan (21,520). But the two most dynamic countries – by far – are China (20,735, + 8.8%) and South Korea (12,575, + 21%).
« The dynamism of China and South Korea has lasted for several years, and will be confirmed in 2023, underlines Yann Ménière. It is explained by their presence in the most dynamic areas of activity in terms of innovation. » These two countries are thus very strong in digital communication, the largest sector in terms of volume of patent filings (17,749) and which remains dynamic (+ 8.6%).
Likewise, they are also present in the energy transition, notably batteries for electric vehicles. These areas are found in the electrical machines and electrical energy sector, according to the EPO nomenclature, which was the most dynamic in 2023, with a surge in patent applications of 12.2%. The strength of the two Asian countries is also found in their large companies. The top three among patent applicants is in fact occupied by the Chinese Huawei and the Koreans Samsung and LG.
Not a structural decline for France
The slow downgrading of France can be explained more by the dynamism of Asian countries than by a real drop in deposits from France. « The decline in 2023 does not seem structural », believes Yann Ménière. It is true that the number of French patents remains very stable over the years: 10,468 in 2018, compared to 10,814 last year. « France’s great strength lies in the transport or aeronautics sectors, which are not currently the most dynamic. », points out the chief economist of the EPO.
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Thermal engine vehicles, which are clearly no longer popular, therefore fall into the transport sector. It is still the leading sector in terms of patent volume in France, but it recorded a decline of 1.5% over one year. Pharmacy and biotech are also a French strength. And the dynamism of the latter (+ 7.2%) offsets the decline in the pharmaceutical sector (- 7.6%). The good news comes from the IT sector, which rises to second place with a surge in patent applications of 18.2% in just one year. « This dynamism shows that France exists in a field like artificial intelligence, which today has a very bright future. »welcomes Yann Ménière.
The largest patent applicants of French origin show the strength of these sectors. Transport and aeronautics are represented by Valeo (number 1), Safran (3rd) and Thales (6th). The construction materials specialist Saint-Gobain, particularly dynamic in the field of low-carbon construction, occupies 4th place. And the pharmaceutical group Sanofi is 5th. « One of the great specificities of France is the strength of its public research organizations. », underlines Yann Ménière. The CEA is in fact the 2nd largest patent filer. Inserm is 8th, CNRS is 17th and IFP-EN is 18th. Which shows the effectiveness of the French model in this area.
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