Official Statistics

Facts and figures: patents, trade marks, designs and hearings: 2022

Published 28 July 2023

Note: This document is to be used in conjunction with the data download for patent, trade mark, design and hearing data for 2022 and provides further insight for these statistics.

1. Main points

Applications

The number of patent applications to the IPO has increased by 3.4% between 2021 and 2022 to 19,486. Trade mark applications decreased by 19.2% to 158,821 applications in 2022. Design applications have also decreased by 6.7% from 72,157 applications in 2021 to 67,315 applications in 2022.

Registrations and grants

A record number of designs were registered in 2022 with 70,098 registrations, an 16.9% increase. Patent grants have decreased by 2.9% between 2021 and 2022. There has also been a decrease in the number of trade marks registered in 2022 with 163,104 registrations, a decrease of 3.5%.

International

For patents, trade marks and designs, the highest number of non-UK applications came from either China or the USA. The USA has the highest number of patent applications filed at the IPO by non-UK applicants, while China has the highest number of trade mark and design non-UK applicants.

Hearings

Cases relating to trade marks make up the largest proportion of hearings activity at the IPO. A total of 8,827 oppositions were filed in relation to trade marks (including Fast Track options) in 2022.

2. Facts and figures: patents, trade marks, designs and hearings

Table 1: Summary of all registered rights

Intellectual Property Right	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	Change 2021 to 2022 (%)
Patents applications [1]	22,072	20,931	19,245	20,651	18,854	19,486	3.4%
Patents publications	11,768	12,061	11,125	10,040	11,306	11,790	4.3%
Patents grants	6,311	5,982	5,948	9,772	10,899	10,578	-2.9%
Trade marks applications [2]	83,984	95,203	107,526	137,035	196,639	158,821	-19.2%
Trade marks registrations	70,362	81,556	95,177	96,204	168,991	163,104	-3.5%
Design applications	19,269	26,164	28,895	31,460	72,157	67,315	-6.7%
Design registrations	17,195	24,425	27,589	27,220	59,983	70,098	16.9%

Source: Intellectual Property Office

Notes:

[1] Patents filed directly at the IPO and Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications.

[2] Domestic trade mark applications and International Registrations (excluding additional classes).

Patents

Between 2021 and 2022, the number of patent applications [1] to the IPO increased by 3.4% (from 18,854 applications to 19,486), with the number of domestic applications (16,592 applications) increasing slightly by 0.6% and PCT applications (2,897 applications) increasing by 23.0%. While the number of patent applications has generally been lower in recent years, the same pattern has been seen in several of the larger patent applicant countries such as France, Germany, and Japan [2]. Trends in patent filing has been researched in greater detail in the changing profile of users of the UK patent system analysis.

The number of patents published increased by 4.3% from 11,306 to 11,790 between 2021 and 2022. The overall number of patents granted decreased by 2.9% to 10,578 in the same time period. While the number of patents granted decreased, it is still the second highest annual number of grants at the IPO after 2021. The increase in the number grants in 2021 and 2022 is due to an internal IPO initiative to reduce the backlog of outstanding examinations. The number of domestic grants (7,255) decreased by 3.8% and PCT grants (3,323) decreased by 1.0%.

Figure 1: Patent applications have increased in 2022.

Source: Intellectual Property Office.

Notes:

[1] Patents filed directly at the IPO and Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications.

[2] According to World Intellectual Property Organization IP statistics.

The majority of applications to the IPO are from UK-based applicants. In 2022 there were 11,161 domestic applications from UK-based applicants, representing 57.3% of all applications received. The highest number of non-UK based applications came from the USA (3,047), China (863), and Japan (526).

Green Channel patents

The Green Channel for patent applications was introduced in 2009 and allows applicants to request accelerated processing of their patent application if the invention has an environmental benefit. The IPO received a record 496 requests in 2022 through the Green Channel; the previous record was in 2021 with 454 applications, which is an 9.3% increase.

As of June 2023, there has been 221 published Green Channel requests which were published [1] in 2022 [2]. As the publication of a patent application usually takes place 18 months from the filing or priority date, the current number of published green channel requests is a provisional count and will likely increase.

Figure 2: Green Channel requests continue to increase.

Source: Intellectual Property Office.

Notes:

[1] According to Intellectual Property Office - Green Channel Patent Applications (ipo.gov.uk).

[2] The application filing date may differ from the Green Channel patent request date.

Trade marks

In 2021, the IPO received a record 196,639 trade mark applications [1]. The number of trade mark applications in 2022 decreased by 19.2% compared to 2021. The significant increases seen since 2016 are believed to have been driven by three factors; a significant surge in applications from China, the COVID-19 pandemic and filings driven by the UK’s exit from the European Union. The first two reasons have seen the number of applications increase for the majority of IP offices globally [2], however the size of this increase is much smaller in these IP offices since the UK’s exit from the European Union which is an extra factor in increased mark filings for the IPO.

Figure 3: Trade mark applications and registrations decrease from a record the previous year

Source: Intellectual Property Office.

Notes:

[1] Domestic trade mark applications and International Registrations (excluding additional classes).

[2] According to World Intellectual Property Organization IP statistics.

In 2022, there were 79,978 trade mark applications sent directly to the IPO (domestic applications) from UK-based applicants (a decrease of 17.2% compared to 2021), and 44,142 direct applications to the IPO from non-UK-based applicants, which is a 34% decrease from 2021. In addition, there were 34,705 trade mark applications through the International Registration (IR) route, an increase of 6.3%. Much of the fall in trade mark applications is due to the trade mark applications sent directly to the IPO from international countries, and particularly European countries.

For example, the highest filing rate increases between 2020 and 2021 were from European countries such as Italy, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Poland, Finland and Austria, with increases of between 708% and 437%. In contrast, between 2021 and 2022 applications from these countries saw decreases of between 48% and 75%. This may indicate that the surge in applications due to the UK’s exit from the European Union may be beginning to stabilise.

The highest number of non-UK based applications (19,975 domestic and 1,856 IR) came from China with 21,831 applications followed by the USA with 18,158 applications (9,227 domestic and 8,931 IR). Both countries had a lower number of applications in 2022 than the previous year (a 28.4% decrease from China and a 13.5% decrease from the USA).

The number of trade mark registrations has also decreased from a record high of 168,991 in 2021 to 163,104 in 2022, a decrease of 3.5%. However, this was the first year where the number of registrations were higher than the number of applications. This was a result of the surge in trade mark applications which increased the backlog of work for trade mark examiners.

Registered trade marks provide protection within different classes of goods and services. For example, in the UK, the word ‘Polo’ is protected simultaneously by different applicants in relation to different goods: a type of mint, a clothing brand and a model of car. The total number of classes in all applications in 2022 was 356,989 (266,683 domestic and 90,306 IR), a decrease of 18.1% from 2021.

Between 2011 and 2022, the number of trade mark applications and registrations each year has consistently risen. While in 2022 there was a decrease in both applications and registrations, the number of both remains the second highest since 2011.

Designs

Design applications to the IPO have seen a dramatic increase since 2015, with the number of applications growing 1114.9% between 2015 and 2021. The process of applying for registered design protection with the IPO has changed in recent years, with a new fee structure coming into force in October 2016 and an online application form in October 2017. These changes were intended to make the process more straightforward and cost-effective for applicants and are likely to have contributed to increased filing activity. As of May 2018, the UK became a member of the Hague Agreement for International Registrations. These figures, 14,973 international applications for 2022, are included within this publication, which accounts for a portion of the applications and registrations shown.

Figure 4: Design registrations continue to increase

Source: Intellectual Property Office.

Notes:

[1] Designs registrations includes the international Hague applications and registrations. This is a route for applying for designs through World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which the UK joined in 2018. This allows for a single international application filed with WIPO rather than a whole series of applications which would otherwise have to be filed with different national offices.

For the first time since 2014, Designs applications have decreased by 6.7% between 2021 and 2022, from 72,157 to 67,315. 28,646 design applications to the IPO were from UK-based applicants which accounted for 42.6% of all design applications in 2022. The number of applications by UK-based applicants has increased by 2.1% between 2021 and 2022.

Like trade marks, there has been a fall in applications by international (non-UK) applicants, with 38,669 applications in 2022, down 12.3% from 44,108 in 2021. Similar to 2021, over half of applications from international countries in 2022 were from either China or the USA (10,742 and 9,680 respectively) with the number of applications both countries decreasing by 18.3% and 3.9% respectively compared to 2021.

Like trade marks, the number of registrations has overtaken the number of applications in designs in 2022. The number of registrations increased from 59,983 to 70,098 in 2022, an increase of 16.9%, much of this increase is again the surge in designs applications which increased the backlog of work for design examiners.

Hearings

In addition to processing and examining applications for intellectual property rights, the IPO also facilitates the resolution of IP disputes through hearings and tribunals. The IPO’s facilitation of hearings means that cases can be processed faster and gives businesses a more affordable dispute option than seeking redress through the courts. Cases relating to trade marks make up the largest proportion of hearings activity at the IPO. There was a total of 8,827 oppositions filed (an increase from 8,080 in 2021) in relation to trade marks in 2022 (including Fast Track oppositions) and 843 ex parte hearings taken to challenge examiners’ objections to trade marks.

3. Facts and figures: patent, trade mark, design and hearing data

The full dataset which contains further breakdowns of these data is available to download here:

Dataset Released 28th July 2023
Summary of dataset

4. Glossary

Patents

A patent protects inventions. It gives the right to take legal action against anyone who makes, uses, sells or imports it without the patent holder’s permission.

To be granted a patent, the invention must be all of the following: something that can be made or used, new, and inventive - not just a simple modification to something that already exists.

Patent cannot be granted for certain types of invention, including:

• literary, dramatic, musical or artistic works
• a way of doing business, playing a game or thinking
• a method of medical treatment or diagnosis
• a discovery, scientific theory or mathematical method
• the way information is presented
• some computer programs or mobile apps
• ‘essentially biological’ processes like crossing-breeding plants, and plant or animal varieties

Application

An application for a patent includes a full description of the invention (including any drawings), a set of claims defining the invention, and a short abstract summarising the technical features of the invention.

Search

The IPO carries out a search to check whether the invention is new and inventive. The results of the search and any defects in the application are reported. Search reports can take up to 6 months.

Publication

Applications are published 18 months from filing or priority date, provided they are complete and pass the search.

Substantive examination

The examination checks whether an invention is new and inventive enough. It also checks that the description and claims match and are good enough to patent. The examination will show if an application meets the legal requirements. Examination of a patent application must be requested within 6 months of publication. Examinations can take place several years after the filing date of an application.

European patent protection

European patents (EP) can also provide protection in the UK. Applications can be made through the IPO or directly to the European Patent Office (EPO). Once granted an application becomes separate patents in the countries designated.

Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)

Patents providing protection in the UK may also be received by the IPO through the international route. International applications use the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) to pursue patent rights across many countries from a single filing.

Trade mark

A trade mark is a sign which can distinguish goods and services from those of other traders. A sign includes, for example, words, logos, colours or a combination of these. A trade mark can be used as a marketing tool so that customers recognise products or services.

Trade marks are not granted for words, logos, colours or other signs which are unlikely to be seen as a trade mark by the public. For example, marks which describe goods or services or any characteristics of them (e.g. marks which show the quality, quantity, purpose, value or geographical origin of goods or services); terms that have become customary (e.g. technical terms that are in common use); terms that are not distinctive (e.g. promotional advertising slogans); or a combination of these.

Trade marks will not be granted if they are offensive (e.g. taboo swear words), against the law (e.g. promoting illegal drug use), or deceptive (e.g. there should be nothing in your mark which would mislead the public). In addition, IPO will object to marks that contain specially protected emblems (e.g. the Red Cross or Olympic symbols).

To be registrable, a trade mark must be distinctive for the goods and services that are applied for registration.

Design

A registered design protects the visual appearance of a product, part of a product, or its ornamentation. This can also apply to an industrial or handicraft item. This IP right gives no protection for how a product works but merely for its appearance. That appearance can be affected by a number of contributory features including: lines, contours, colours, shape, texture, material.

The protection lasts for five years and can be renewed every five years, for up to 25 years.

Hearings

A hearing is an open attendance before a Hearing Officer at the IPO, which is normally open to the public.

An ex parte hearing is the name given to hearings held between a single party (either private individuals or firms) and the IPO. An ex parte hearing is a way of taking things forward with a patent, trade mark or design application or granted application. It allows the IP right holder to explain their case in person to a ‘hearing officer’. The hearing officer is trained to be independent and to look at all sides of the arguments and make the final decision about the case.

Opposition

An opposition is the procedure where a third party may formally object to an application for registration of a trade mark.

For a further glossary of terms relating to trade mark hearings, please see this guidance.

5. Data

Data source

The statistics in this release are produced using administrative data from the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), covering various aspects of IPO business. For patents, trade marks, and designs, snapshots of administrative databases for the calendar year 2022 were taken in April and May 2023. Data relating to hearings activity are provided directly by the relevant teams within the IPO. Due to the cessation of collection internally of some data points, certain tables and data points relating to Hearings have been removed from this publication.

Coverage

Patent protection in the UK can also be obtained from the European Patent Office (EPO). Prior to 2021, trade mark and design protection was also available through the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), this route is no longer available. Statistics relating to the EPO and the EUIPO are not covered in this publication and as such, the statistics in this publication do not represent all intellectual property activity in the UK. While all EPO applications are automatically designated to the UK, applicants have the option to specify otherwise. Statistics to the coverage of EPO patents to the UK may presently be inferred using data on fees (see table 2.5 in the data download) and using experimental statistics. Further research is required to ascertain the entire scope intellectual property activity in the UK.

6. Strengths and limitations

It is important to note that the IPO’s data is collected for business purposes, not statistical purposes, and it is therefore subject to a number of limitations from a statistical perspective.

Intellectual property (IP) statistics should not be used alone to describe the level of innovation in the UK, or as a measure of inventorship. See the patent guide, or the trade mark guide for information on the limitations of using patents and trade marks as proxies for measuring innovation.

Accuracy of the statistics

Administrative data at the IPO are generated through receipt of forms to the office, which can be filed online or in paper format. To compile statistics on the three registered intellectual property rights (patents, trade marks and designs), data are extracted from the relevant databases. The extraction of data is not performed immediately at the close of the calendar year but is delayed allowing for any necessary retrospective amendments to be made in the databases. This ensures that the statistics presented in this release have a higher level of accuracy.

Name consistency

Applicants are free to write their name as they choose, which can lead to variation over multiple applications. For example, one individual may write “Limited” as part of the company name on whose behalf they are applying, while another individual may use the abbreviation “Ltd.” on a later application for the same company. We therefore use probabilistic matching to produce the “Top 50” and “Top 10” tables in this release, aiming to group all variations of a company name together.

Address consistency

Applicants are free to write their address as they choose, which can lead to variation over multiple applications in a similar manner to names (please see above). The address listed on application may not represent the location of where the IP was generated. For example, a patent for a product invented in one location may be filed under a company headquarters address in a completely different location (which could be in a different country). Address data on trade mark and design applications represents the current address the rights owner wishes to use for correspondence. This may not be the address that the application was originally filed under.

“Rejected” patent applications

The IPO does not formally issue decisions rejecting patent applications. Furthermore, we do not associate withdrawals or abandonment with specific decisions. Applications that do not become granted patents include applications which had outstanding objections at expiry of the compliance period, applications withdrawn, and applications abandoned.

IP timelines

The applications granted/registered in a given calendar year often refer to applications filed in a previous year. It is therefore not possible to use the number of applications filed in 2018 and the number of grants/registrations in 2018 to calculate the proportion of “successful” applications.

Applicants’ characteristics

It is not a requirement for applicants to provide information such as sex, ethnicity, or disability status in order to obtain intellectual property rights, and these questions are not asked on our forms. We cannot provide statistics on the diversity of applicants; however, the IPO has published research into the gender of patent applicants using name-gender inference.

The IPO is responsible for copyright legislation in the UK but does not produce statistics on this intellectual property right as there is no copyright register. For further information, access the copyright page.

7. Related links

Monthly statistics: Patents, trade marks and designs: April 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Official Statistics | Released 25th May 2023
The statistics in this release provide factual information relating to monthly applications and registrations of intellectual property registered rights (patents, trade marks, and designs)

Facts and figures: patents, trade marks, designs and hearings: 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Official Statistics | Released 20th July 2022
These statistics include annual data for designs, patents, trade marks and hearings for 2021, based on administrative data.

Trends at UK Intellectual Property Office 1995 to 2017
Official Statistics | Released 13 July 2018
A report on the trends of patent, trade mark and design applications, publications and grants at the IPO over 1995 to 2017.

The changing profile of users of the UK patent system

Official Statistics | Released 9th August 2021
This paper forms part of the IPO’s research into the drivers of IP demand. This research paper focuses on the changing profile of users of the UK patent system.

We are seeking feedback

We are always looking to improve our release for these statistics and datasets. Feedback on this release is welcomed at [email protected].