In 2023 overall European patent applications filed by Italian applicants grew by 3.8%, more than double the European average growth; Italy ranks fourth for number of Unitary patent requests.

Strong growth in European patent filings

European patent filings by Italian applicants continue to grow according to the data relating to 2023 collected in the Patent Index 2023 publication by the European Patent Office (EPO).

In 2023, 5053 European patent applications were filed by Italian applicants, with an increase of 3.8% compared to the previous year; this is more than double the European average growth in applications, which the EPO sets at 1.4% in 2023.

Italy ranks 4^th for Unitary patent requests

Inaugurated on 1 June 2023, the Unitary patent is a European patent for which the owner has requested the application of single validity in all participating states; Italy, with 1237 requests, ranks 4th among European countries for the number of requests for unitary effect, with Germany (4378), France (1625) and Switzerland (1286) in the top three positions (EPO figures on 2 April 2024).

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