For the first time in history, South Korea secured a position among the top five countries for patent applications at the European Patent Office.
The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) announced that Korea ranked fifth in terms of patent applications in Europe in the latest “Patent Index 2023″ released by the European Patent Office on Mar. 26. Korean companies filed 12,575 patent applications in Europe last year, surpassing France for the first time.
The U.S. ranked first place with 48,155 patent applications, followed by Germany (24,966), Japan (21,520), China (20,735), and South Korea.
Huawei filed the most patent applications, with 5071 patents. Samsung and LG followed closely with 4,760 and 3,498 applications, respectively. Regarding patent filings, Samsung and LG outpaced global tech companies from the U.S. and Europe, such as Qualcomm, Ericsson, and Siemens.
By technology, Korea ranked second in electromechanics, apparatus, energy, and semiconductors, including electric vehicle (EV) batteries. LG secured the top spot in the field of batteries, followed by Samsung in third place and SK in fifth.
“As the competition for global technological supremacy intensifies, Korean companies’ efforts to enhance competitiveness by securing rights to core technologies such as semiconductors and batteries have been well reflected in the European Patent Office’s Patent Index 2023,” said KIPO interim director Kim Si-hyung.
