THE IPO REPORT: FAST FACTS FOR 2017

Intellectual Property Office, United Kingdom

  

The United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has published its Fast Facts for 2017 which presents the filing statistics for patents, trademarks and designs in 2014/2015, along with other information about intellectual property and the office.

 Some key facts in the Report are as follows:

2014 

• Patent-intensive industries' contributed approx. 13.3% (€265 billion) to UK GDP and 8.3% (2.4 million) of UK employment each year 2011-13.
• The total investment in intangible assets protected by Patents was estimated at £7.5 billion (equivalent to approximately 0.4% of total UK GDP).
•  Investments in IP-protected intangible assets rose from '£47 billion in 2000 to £70 billion'.
•  5,464 patents were granted by the IPO, 2,838 of which were to UK-based applicants.
• An estimated 11% of total UK investment in intangible assets was in assets protected by design rights; 9% in assets protected by unregistered design rights and 2% in assets protected by design registration.
• Trade mark-intensive industries contributed an estimated 38.4% (€762 billion) of UK GDP and 21.5% (6.4 million) of UK employment per year during the period 2011-13.

2015

• 22,801 patent applications were made to the IPO, 14,870 of which were by UK applicants. This makes the IPO as the world’s 12th largest IP office. 
•  5,037 applications were made to the European Patent Office by UK applicants, 7% higher than last year. Also 2,097 European patents were granted to UK businesses.
•  54,320 UK trademark applications were filed, 49, 201 of which were by UK-based applicants. This figure is 6% higher than 2014 and increasing annually over the last 5 years
•  46,299 national UK registrations were filed at the IPO, 41,638 of which were by UK-based applicants
•  4,307 Madrid protocol applications  were filed and  3,780 Madrid protocol trade marks were registered
• UK design applications filed are 31% higher than 2014, owing to the launch of IPO’s new digital “Apply for a Design Service”. The registration fees were also reduced in October 2016 which may also increase this percentage. 
• The IPO’s turnover in financial year 2015/2016 was £80.34 million.

According to the 2016 Taylor Wessing’s Global IP Index, the UK IP system is ranked 3^rd in ' obtaining, exploiting and enforcing IP rights'. The IPO Report highlights that IP crime by organised crime gangs costs the UK economy hundreds of millions of pounds annually and causes significant damage to industry. As detailed in the report, officials confiscated 1.6 million consignments of infringing goods at the UK border valued over £56 million. Furthermore, the 2015/16 Trading Standards' IP Crime Survey shows that the top five products investigated in 2015/16 were tobacco, clothing, alcohol, footwear and watches/ jewellery. 

It would be interesting to see what happens to these figures from this year onward, based on all the recent changes in the UK as a result of implications of BREXIT. More UK Patents and Trademarks may be registered in addition to EU-wide registrations to ensure full protection once Britain completes the exit process from the EU.

For the full report, click here.