International patent filings fell in 2009, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) announced on Monday.

International patent applications under WIPO's Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) dropped by 4.5 percent last year.

"This is the first decline we have seen in the PCT filings in its over-30-year history," Carsten Fink, WIPO chief economist, said at a press conference here.

The filing rate for the United States and Germany, respectively ranked first and third for PCT applications, decreased by more than 11 percent in 2009. Fink called the decline unprecedented and, due to the financial crisis, unsurprising.

"Some companies that held back with filings last year due to decreased cash flows might file more this year," Fink said.

Applications from Northeast Asia continued to rise, however.

The filing rate for Japan, ranked second worldwide, increased by 3.6 percent. The filing rate for the Republic of Korea, ranked fourth, grew by 2.1 percent, while China, which edged out France for the fifth place, grew by almost 30 percent.

"This confirms a trend we've seen for the past five years," said Francis Gurry, WIPO director general. The Geneva-based WIPO was created in 1967 and has 184 members.

(Source: Xinhua)

2013-07-17