EPO: UK patent activity increases for third year but lags behind lead nations
27 Mar 2025
UK-based innovators have increased their patent filing activity in Europe for the third year in succession, according to the European Patent Office (EPO).
Its annual Patent Index Report reveals UK-sited innovators filed 6,076 patent applications last year, up 3.1% on the previous year.
It leaves the country with the third highest in the office’s growth recorded by the organisation’s 10 top filing countries.
However, the UK significantly lags behind behind leading nations in the field. EPO applications are dominated by the USA with nearly a quarter of the total or 24%.
America remains far ahead of second placed Germany on 12.6%, which is followed by Japan on 10.6% and China on 10.1%.
By comparison, the UK remains a relative minnow – even after three years of growth, it accounts for only 3% of applications.
James Gray, partner and patent attorney at European intellectual property firm, Withers & Rogers, said despite geopolitical uncertainty, the UK outlook for high-growth sectors of industry in areas such as computer technology, AI, life sciences and advanced manufacturing was good.
“The UK has a world class research base and is home to four of the world’s top 10 universities. Year on year, these universities are responsible for a range of dynamic spinout companies that rely on intellectual property (IP) rights to optimise revenues and attract the investment needed to secure their growth plans,” he commented.
One surprising change is the replacement of previous top UK filer Unilever. It has been ousted by British American Tobacco which leapt from 354 patent applications in 2023, to 636.
BAT was also the fastest growing filer in the EPO’s Top 50 list of companies that made application, a development that may in part be due to further investment in vaping technologies,
Unilever heldsecond place with 613 patent applications from the UK, followed by Rolls-Royce, with 254 patent applications from the UK. Other top UK-based filers included BAE Systems (184), British Telecommunications (175) and Linde (173).
Concluded Gray: “Based on the EPO’s Patent Index we can see that many UK-based companies and research science institutions have the backing of investors and a world-leading reputation in terms of their innovation outputs. With a new 10-year vision and the right amount of funding, the UK could builder a stronger industrial future and benefit economically.”
Pic: Shutterstock
