The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), has since it began in 1978, seen continuous growth with a record 145,300 applications filed in 2006, representing a 6.4% growth over the previous year.

The most remarkable growth rates came from countries in north east Asia for the third year running and represented over a quarter (25.3%) of all international applications under the PCT. In 2006, the list was topped by applications from the United States of America (USA), Japan, Germany, Republic of Korea and France.

Source: WIPO

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