The number of patents on innovative transport explodes
Keystone-SDA
The number of patents for transport innovations has exploded over the last 20 years, rising 700% to 120,000 by 2023, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva.
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These patents, which include those on reusable rockets, autonomous cars and ships equipped with new technologies, now account for 40% of all transport patents. More than 1.1 million innovations have been registered.
The annual growth rate of over 10% in this field is twice as high as that of the total number of patents. The main field of innovation is related to sustainable propulsion, such as batteries for electric vehicles, for greener transport.
WIPO Director Daren Tang called for collaboration on “policies, standards and regulations that promote the commercialisation” of innovations.
Five leading nations
Behind China, which is building on solid advances thanks to its leading role in electric vehicles, are Japan, the United States and South Korea. In all, five countries account for almost all patents relating to the future of transport. These have exceeded the one million mark in just over 20 years.
Since 2018, growth in the number of patent applications for older technologies has stagnated, says WIPO. Land transport accounts for 3.5 times more innovations than other modes of transport, with almost 85% of the total.
Translated from French with DeepL/mga
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