Version anglaise
16,886: France ranks 2
nd
in Europe for the
number of patents filed
2011 international rankings
France ranked second in Europe and 6th in the world for the number of patents filed: 7,664
international patents were filed in 2011. (INPI 2011)
Increase in the number of patent applications in France in 2013:
With a total of 16,886 applications, the French National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI)
recorded an increase of 1.5% compared with 2012; almost 82% of these were filed
electronically. This ranking takes account of published patent applications, i.e. those filed
between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2012, since patent applications are published 18 months
after filing, in accordance with the law.
There are several reasons for this strong position:
- The dynamism of French businesses, which are increasingly integrating industrial property
into their development strategies. “Despite the crisis, the major groups that file patents are not
ignoring industrial property. Innovation remains a key driver of growth in development
strategies and strategies aimed at conquering new markets,” states Yves Lapierre, INPI's
Director General;
- The support of a political strategy that is conducive to innovation: In 2012, the government
embarked on a policy to promote innovation within the framework of the Pact for Growth,
Competitiveness and Employment. “A new deal for innovation,” launched in 2013, sets a
comprehensive goal: to make France a land of innovation, focusing on four strategic areas:
o innovation by all: to mobilize all forms of innovation, all talents in French
society, by taking action on cultural constraints and promoting equal
opportunities, by encouraging initiative, creativity, project work, the taste for
industry and entrepreneurship, in all stages of training and within society;
o open innovation: to support ecosystem functioning, the transfer of knowledge
and technology between research and businesses, and the interface between
major groups and SMEs in our territory;
o Innovation for growth: to boost innovative companies and provide an
environment that will allow them to grow and become the leaders of
tomorrow;
o Public innovation: implement a coordinated, coherent and effective public
innovation policy and create public policies that put citizens at the center of
innovation.
The desire for European harmonization:
In 2014, France was one of the first states to ratify the agreement on the unified
jurisdiction that will establish the European unitary patent. The innovation policy goes
beyond the French framework and forms part of a broader European framework.
The European unitary patent is a tangible example of the EU’s shift toward growth and
employment. It’s a component of the European Pact for Growth and Employment
promoted by the French president and agreed upon at the European Council in June
2012.
- Effective government structures:
o France Brevets, the state investment fund dedicated to patent promotion
created in 2011 (with a budget of €100 million, contributed in equal parts by
the Caisse des Dépôts and the government within the framework of the
Investment for the Future program) plays a role in a context marked by the
establishment of sovereign patent funds in several countries in Asia
(Intellectual Discovery in Korea, Industrial Technology Research Institute in
Taiwan, Innovation Network Corporation of Japan in Japan).
o In addition to granting patents, trademarks and design rights and models, the
INPI receives, supports and advises innovators while actively helping to draft
and implement public policies on industrial property and combating
counterfeiting.
-
Concrete measures to support innovation, for example:
o Tax measures: changes in the Young Innovative Companies mechanism, to
ensure that innovation expenditure is taken into account in their tax deductions;
introduction of the tax credit;
o Reform of the competitiveness clusters; strategy focusing on innovation and
job creation, support for regional self-reliance, strategic vision for each
industrial sector, coordination with all innovation stakeholders;
o Investment: bolstering the first Investment for the Future program by more
than €2 billion, notably in order to provide support for innovation (digital,
health-related and capital investment); announcement of a new future
investment program amounting to €12 billion, one of the priorities of which is
support for all forms of innovation.
The automotive sector remains the leading patent applicant
The most substantial increase came from the Renault group, with published patent
applications increasing from 341 to 543 (+59.2%), moving from 8th to 4th place in the
rankings. Schneider Electric also recorded a sharp increase, with published patent applications
increasing from 105 in 2012 to 160 in 2013 (+52.4%), moving from 20th to 16th position.
Alstom moved into the top 20, ranking 19th place (with 105 applications) in the 2013 listings.
Companies in the automotive sector still file the most patent applications, followed by the
main industrial sectors: cosmetics, aeronautics, telecommunications, electronics, chemicals
and energy.
Research institutions still rank among the top 20: The Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et
aux Energies Alternatives (the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission)
ranks 3rd, CNRS ranks 7th (408 applications published) and IFP Energies Nouvelles ranks 13th
(188 applications published).
The top three positions are held by the same groups as last year, with only one variation
among the three groups. PSA Peugeot Citroën retains its number one position with 1,378
patent applications published in 2013 (1,348 in 2012) The Safran group and the Commissariat
à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives swapped their rankings. The Safran group
ranks 2nd, with the number of applications published increasing from 556 in 2012 to 645,
followed by the Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, with 625
applications published (566 applications published in 2012.)
http://www.inpi.fr/fr/l-inpi/actualites/actualites/article/palmares-2013-des-principauxdeposants-de-brevets-en-france5639.html?cHash=0e84e6e1596e264e6e2bb0c71e3c0d14