A study published by the European Patent Office (EPO) shows that innovation in fourth industrial revolution (4IR) technologies has accelerated significantly worldwide. Between 2010 and 2018, global patent filings for these technologies, which concern smart connected objects and span the Internet of Things, big data, 5G, and artificial intelligence (AI), grew at an average annual rate of almost 20% – nearly five times faster than the average of all technology fields.
The study, entitled Patents and the Fourth Industrial Revolution – the global technology trends enabling the data-driven economy, looks at all international patent families (IPFs) related to 4IR worldwide between 2000 and 2018. Each of these represents a high-value invention for which patent applications have been filed at two or more patent offices globally.
This study is available at www.epo.org/trends-4IR. It will be presented at the EPO’s digital conference to be held on 17/18 December 2020. For more information and free registration : The role of patents in an AI driven world.