Three Years of IP Trends in Europe Decoded: Navigating COVID-19, the Unitary Patent, and GenAI

From the COVID-19 pandemic to conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, the launch of the Unitary Patent, and emerging technologies such as Generative AI (GenAI), IP professionals face new and fast-evolving hurdles to effective IP management. Subject Matter Expert, Fanny Coignard, discusses what these emerging trends and challenges mean for IP owners and managers and how our innovative software, Orbit Intelligence, can provide support. 

In our recent webinar, Decoding IP Trends in Europe, we explored the evolving European IP landscape over the past three years, examining the impact of significant global events and identifying the key IP trends, opportunities, and challenges expected to shape the industry in the years ahead.. 

What Can Patent Analysis Tell Us About These Global IP Trends? 

By searching and analyzing European patent data in Orbit Intelligence, we can quickly identify emerging technology trends and access valuable competitive intelligence, including industry classifications, description and claims summaries (via our fully secure and confidential ChatGPT interface), as well as key technical features and conceptual insights. 

 The European Patent Landscape 

By searching for all European patents filed in the last five years in Orbit Intelligence (using the “EPRC” code, pictured here), we identified more than 400,000 European patent families when this analysis was conducted at the end of January 2024. Using the graphical view and summary module of Orbit Intelligence (see Figure 1 below), we were able to quickly identify several interesting technology trends. 

Firstly, the data shows a consistent decline in priority filings in Europe over the past three years (see Figure 2 below). Given the typical 18-month publication delay, the figures for 2022 have been extrapolated.

Interestingly, this trend mirrors developments in the United States, whereas our research indicates that priority filings in Asia have increased in recent years. This raises the question of whether Europe (and indeed the U.S.) will be adequately prepared to address the challenges that may emerge in the future.

Of course, Europe comprises multiple jurisdictions, so we further refined our analysis by country (see Figure 3 below). This shows that Germany leads by a significant margin, accounting for more than half of all priority filings, followed at a considerable distance by the United Kingdom and France.

However, further investigation (see Figure 4 below) reveals that GB priority filings have remained relatively stable, whereas German (DE) filings have declined significantly. This suggests that the overall decrease in priority filings across Europe observed earlier can be largely attributed to the sharp decline in German filings.

Who Are the Top Filers? 

Next, we drilled down to assess the top patent applicants by patent family (first priority year) (see Figure 5 below). Perhaps unsurprisingly, the leading assignees are German companies, including Robert Bosch, Volkswagen, BMW, Zeppelin, Mercedes-Benz, and Siemens. The first non-German applicants are Valeo and Safran, ranked 9th and 10th respectively, both of which are French companies.

Safran (ranked 10th) is not only the first non-German assignee, but also the first non-automotive company, with the top nine applicants consisting entirely of automotive manufacturers or automotive equipment suppliers.

Given our focus on IP trend analysis over recent years, we also examined priority filings for these top assignees between 2019 and 2022 (see Figure 6 below). The data shows a significant decline in filings from the two leading companies, although Volkswagen may show signs of recovery in 2022.

A common pattern is also visible in 2020, where most companies experienced a sharp drop in filings, particularly Zeppelin and PSE Automobiles. However, by 2021, filing levels had largely rebounded to those seen in 2019. This temporary decline is most likely attributable to the impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020.

What Can We Learn About Unitary Patent Adoption? 

By focusing on the unitary patent filing data, we can see that the top filer for 'EPC0' (the unitary code) is Siemens and by a significant margin: 

The German multinational technology conglomerate holds approximately three times more EPCO patents than Philip Morris International, which ranks second. Interestingly, both Philip Morris International and Thyssenkrupp appear among the top 10 unitary patent filers, despite not being among the leading applicants in Europe overall (by total filing volume see Figure 7 above). This suggests that while major German automotive companies may not be heavily pursuing the unitary patent route, other companies are actively adopting it.

By comparing the data, we can also observe that most companies are adopting a hybrid IP strategy, combining both classical European patents (EPs) and European patents with unitary effect within their portfolios. It will be interesting to see whether this trend continues in the coming years.

IP Trends in Technology 

We have examined global country-specific trends and assignee-related patterns, but what about the technological landscape? By analyzing Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) data, we can observe that the most prominent technology fields by industry also align with our findings of a declining filing trend:

The largest (red) segment corresponds to technologies for climate change mitigation or adaptation (Y02). The dark blue segment represents vehicle-related patents (B60), while the light blue segment corresponds to medical or veterinary devices (A61). The orange segment relates to IT models and machine learning technologies (G06: computing, calculating, or counting).

However, when viewed from a different perspective, it becomes clear that A61 (medical and veterinary technologies) is the leading field in terms of growth, with priority filings increasing steadily over the past three years (see Figure 9 below). This trend is not unexpected, as 2020 was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which triggered a surge in medical research and innovation.

Meanwhile, the second grey line, corresponding to Y02 (climate change mitigation and adaptation technologies), shows a significant decline over the period and appears to be continuing on a downward trajectory. This is somewhat unexpected and may prompt speculation as to whether the focus on the COVID-19 pandemic or recent inflationary pressures in Europe has led countries to temporarily prioritize non-renewable energy solutions over climate change adaptation efforts.

Finally, the third line in light blue, representing G06 (IT models and machine learning technologies), shows a steady year-on-year increase.

In the following section, we will explore these three domains A61, Y02, and G06 in greater detail to uncover additional insights.

Medical, Environmental, and IT Innovations in Europe 

Starting with the top concept, A61 (medical science field) (see Figure 10 below), we can observe a notable increase in concepts related to infections and viruses in 2020, likely driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the figures return closer to normal levels thereafter, they continue to show an upward trend in 2021.

When examining Y02 (climate change adaptation and mitigation technologies) (see Figure 11 below), two distinct trends emerge. Certain fields, such as electricity storage technologies (batteries) and fuel cells, remained relatively stable between 2019 and 2020, while others experienced a gradual decline.

In 2021, however, new domains begin to emerge—such as wind turbine technologies suggesting a diversification beyond the traditional electricity sector.

Finally, we examine G06, which relates to computer systems using specific methods of computation, including the knowledge-based models (G06N 5/00) and machine learning (G06N 20/00) subclasses.

Here, we observe that the overall G06N classification has shown a slight but steady increase over the past few years, with the projected figures for 2022 broadly confirming this upward trend.

As most filings relate to biological models (G06N 3/00), we next examine the leading applicants in this emerging technology domain. Not surprisingly, the top players in this field Robert Bosch, Siemens, and Volkswagen, among others are consistent with those identified earlier in this analysis.

Interestingly, the French Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique (CEA) has gained increased prominence in this area. However, no entirely new entrants appear among the leading filers, raising the question of whether these established companies will continue to be the primary drivers of innovation in Europe in the years ahead.

European IP Trends from 400,000+ Patent Families 

In conclusion, our analysis of these more than 400,000 patent families has Our analysis revealed a gradual decrease in priority filings, with Germany still leading the field despite a decline in recent years. We will continue to monitor the data in light of our three key IP trends to assess whether:

• The unitary patent system will help drive innovation by making European patent protection simpler and more cost-effective;
• The legacy effects of COVID-19 will continue to stimulate research and development in medical science;
• Investment in climate change adaptation technologies will continue to decline, potentially in favor of renewable energy solutions or diversification within the automotive sector, particularly toward electric vehicles; and
• IT models and machine learning technologies will continue to grow in importance, despite the limited emergence of new entrants in this rapidly evolving field.

Overall, the continued decline in European patent filings raises important questions about the future of innovation leadership in Europe, underscoring the need for greater collaboration and adaptation strategies. By closely monitoring these trends, innovators can better align their strategies, foster collaboration, and ensure that Europe remains at the forefront of global technological development.

As we hope this analysis of European patent filing illustrates, Orbit Intelligence can provide vital insights into global innovation and IP trends. For more information on the topics covered, please watch our recent webinar on 'Decoding IP Trends in Europe' or contact our Subject Matter Experts for dedicated support. 

Fanny Coignard has been a Subject Matter Expert at Questel for more than four years. She holds a degree in Biotech Engineering and is certified by the French IP Office (INPI). Before joining Questel, Fanny worked as a Patent Researcher at Pfizer where she was responsible for freedom-to-operate and prior art searches in the biotech field, IP due diligence for mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and competitive intelligence in the fields of vaccines, antibodies, and medical devices, among others. Before Pfizer, she worked in research and development in biotech companies in France and the UK.