The firm filed the highest number of Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications between January 2014 and December 2016 according to data published by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).
PCT applications are one of the primary means by which innovators can secure intellectual property protection for novel inventions, and are recognised in more than 150 countries worldwide.
Marks & Clerk, which alongside Cambridge has offices in seven further UK locations, as well as offices in the EU, Canada and Asia, filed a total of 425 PCT applications in the EU in the last 12 months for which data is available – nearly 60 more than its nearest rival.
Marks & Clerk’s first-place ranking highlights the increasing role of innovation in driving the UK economy. Innovators across the East of England in particular filed 623 patents at the European Patent Office (EPO) in 2017 – up 3.1% on the preceding 12 months.
Globally an estimated 243,500 PCT applications were filed in 2017 – up 4.5%, according to the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s most recent Yearly Review. Of these 5567 were filed from the UK, up 1.2% while 60,709 were filed from Europe as a whole, up 1.9%.
Kirsteen Gordon, a Partner in Marks & Clerk’s Cambridge office said: “That Marks & Clerk has been named the EU’s top filer of PCT patent applications is testament to the experience and expertise of our team, and the innovative companies we support.
“The latest figures from the WIPO highlight the centrality of innovation to economies globally and it’s encouraging to see an upward trend in filing in the UK, EU and globally. Sectors such as life-sciences and biotech continue to drive innovation in Cambridgeshire and intellectual property is a key part of the jigsaw as companies in the region continue to grow and invest.
“We look forward to continuing to support our clients in the UK, Europe and beyond.”
1. https://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/wipo_pub_901_2018.pdf
2. http://www.managingip.com/Article/3845843/Rankings-The-top-firms-for-PCT-work-this-year.html
3. https://www.citma.org.uk/uploads/assets/uploaded/cbbc0dc5-b658-4736-ac4d1e0418369abf.pdf