European Patent Office - Annual report 1995
The European Patent Office's (EPO) annual report for 1995 shows an increase of 5.4% in the number of patent applications in Europe since 1994, with a total of 78,300 applications received in 1995. Applications from the EPO's 17 member states also rose slightly and, in 1995, accounted for over 49% of applications. The most applications from any country came from the USA (29.3%), followed by Germany (19.6%) and Japan (17%). Other non-European countries to show an increase in applications included Canada and South Korea. The highest number of applications were in the medical science field (4,938), in electric elements (3,931) and in communications technology (3,788). Fields where applications rose from the 1994 level of applications included data processing, automotive engineering and organic chemistry. The number of patents granted was 41,609, a slight drop on the 1994 figure. The country where protection was most frequently requested was Germany, followed by the United Kingdom, France and Italy. The number of searches conducted was 82,100, again a slight reduction from the 1994 figure.