Portugal registered a record number of patent applications – Portugal

Portuguese patent applications to the European Patent Organization (OEP) reached a record value in 2023, having increased by 5.4% compared to the previous year, with a total of 329 applications, according to the Patent Index 2023, published this Tuesday.

“There is an increase, which makes us satisfied. Portugal follows the global trend. There were three times more requests than those registered, for example, in 2014”, he tells SATURDAY Inês Vieira Lopes, regional coordinator at the OEP International Relations Department.

Regarding the factors that led to this increase in Portugal, the head of the OEP highlights the technological innovation that is observed in several sectors, but also a “greater awareness among innovation agents of the usefulness of resorting to the patent system”.

Benefits such as investment security, exclusivity and the possibility of transacting the patent in the future are some of the reasons that may explain the record number of applications registered. “In addition, there was an effort by the organization to make patents more accessible, through access to IT platforms and financial incentives,” adds Inês Vieira Lopes.

Regarding the patent registration process, he further explains: “It is not an automatic process and has several procedural phases. At OEP, the average period for registration is two to three and a half years.”

Regarding the sectors with the most patent applications from Portugal in the European market, computer technology and medical technology stand out, as they represent almost a fifth of the total. NOS Innovation, the University of Porto and Sword Health are the new three main applicants, registering the highest number of patents through OEP last year.

“There is a great weight of universities in patenting in Portugal, representing more than half of the requests, especially from institutions in the North, and research centers”, says Inês Vieira Lopes. According to the Patent Index 2023, the North region leads the ranking regional and was responsible for 158 patent applications registered with the OEP, with a share of 48% of total applications. The Centro and Lisbon regions follow, with 73 and 72 requests, respectively.

This year, the study also analyzed the contribution of women to innovation, with “52% of applications submitted originating in Portugal having at least one woman as an inventor”, highlights Inês Vieira Lopes. The value in question represents almost double the average of the 39 OEP Member States.

Last year, in total, the organization registered 199,275 patent applications from inventors around the world. The five countries that originated the most European patent applications in 2023 were the United States, Germany, Japan, China and the Republic of Korea. Among the companies that stood out in these requests are Huawei, Samsung and LG, which occupy the top three places.

Portuguese patent applications to the European Patent Organization (OEP) reached a record value in 2023, having increased by 5.4% compared to the previous year, with a total of 329 applications, according to the Patent Index 2023, published this Tuesday.

“There is an increase, which makes us satisfied. Portugal follows the global trend. There were three times more requests than those registered, for example, in 2014”, he tells SATURDAY Inês Vieira Lopes, regional coordinator at the OEP International Relations Department.

Regarding the factors that led to this increase in Portugal, the head of the OEP highlights the technological innovation that is observed in several sectors, but also a “greater awareness among innovation agents of the usefulness of resorting to the patent system”.