Australian Patent Filings Declined Slightly in 2022, but Held at Historic Highs by Strong International Interest

In 2022, for the second year running, the number of standard patent applications filed in Australia exceeded 30,000. While there was a slight decline of 0.5% compared with 2021, filings remained at a historic high. This was, however, primarily due to continuing growth of nearly 1% in applications originating overseas. Applications from Australian residents fell by 16.6%, returning to around the same level as between 2016 and 2020 following a bumper year in 2021 that was driven substantially by applicants wishing to secure a filing date prior to the phase-out of the innovation patent system. Also disappointing was a continuing decline in the number of provisional applications filed. Provisional filings have not been as low as they are now since the mid-1980s. Read more