Another poor year for LA patent applications

The World Intellectual Property Organization press release Global Economic Slowdown Impacts 2008 International Patent Filings contains lots of statistical data concerning the extent of Patent Cooperation Treaty filings. Of the 139 countries that are part of the International Patent system, developing countries account for about 70%, but file very few applications.

Developing countries make up 78% of the membership of the PCT, representing 109 of the 139 countries that have signed up to the treaty to date. 163,800 applications were made in 2008, but a little over 150,000 of these came from the top 15 industrial nations, leaving little over 12,000 applications between the other 124. Of the Latin American economies, Brazil was ahead with 451 PCT applications, followed by Mexico on 210.