Health care innovations drive patent applications in Europe
The global pandemic hasn't supressed people's creative spirits despite lockdowns and remote work. In 2020, EU patent applications were only slightly lower than 2019, with the medical sector topping new inventions.
Patent filings haven't dropped during the pandemic
The European Patent Office (EPO) said Tuesday that a total of 180,250 applications for patents were filed with the EU's main patents registration body in 2020, which was close to the record number of 181,532 patents in 2019.
Publishing its 2020 Patent Index report, Munich, Germany-based EPO described patenting activity as "robust" despite the global coronavirus pandemic. However, while the data for 2020 was conclusive, EPO President Antonio Campinos said "it is far from presenting a complete picture" of the longer-term effects of the pandemic. "Those, I'm sure, are yet to be seen," he added in a statement.