Sweden in the patent league – a record number of patents granted – Business Week

Sweden proves energetically on the innovation front. Swedish patent applications per head at the EPO is the third highest in the world.

The patent applications from Sweden to the European Patent Office (EPO) is stable . Ericsson, SKF and Electrolux is the top patent for Swedish companies. The number of patents granted while reaching a new record level. It writes the EPO in a press release on Thursday.

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The number of patent applications from Swedish companies granted EPO increased in 2015 by 13.7 percent compared with the previous year, to a record 1,939. The number of patent applications from Sweden to the EPO decreased during the same period by 0.9 percent to 3839.

The total number of patent applications to the EPO in 2015 rose by 4.8 percent to approximately 160,000. The increase is mainly explained by higher application pressure from companies in the USA (+16.4 percent) and China (+22.2), while the volume of patent applications from the EPO’s 38 member states was basically unchanged.

“The significant increase in patent applications to the EPO is proof that Europe is consolidating its position as a hub for innovators from all over the world and as an attractive market for the technology, “says Benoît Battistelli, President of the EPO, in a statement.

Apart the number of patent applications to the EPO per capita, Sweden ranks third in the world, with Switzerland one, and the Netherlands finished second.

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Looking at the total amount of applications to the EPO slopes Sweden an investment and thus end up in eleventh place on the leaderboard. US, followed by Germany, Japan, France and the Netherlands topped the list of countries with the highest number of patent applications to the EPO.

The Swedish part of the largest technology sector is, as before, Digital Communication, with over a quarter of the requests. Followed by Transportation, Medical Technology and Telecommunication.

Ericsson is by far the most active Swedish company in terms of patent applications. With 1,283 applications positions the Company well ahead of runner-SKF (223) and third Electrolux (211).

In the technology area Digital Communication responds Ericsson for second most patents of any company, after Chinese Huawei but before Qualcomm, ZTE, Samsung and Nokia.

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