Business
Technology Dashboard 2025: U.S. remains leading country of origin for European patent applications as China makes gains
Companies and inventors from around the world filed a record 201 974 patent applications last year at the European Patent Office (EPO), according to the EPO Technology Dashboard 2025 (formerly Patent Index) published today. The U.S. maintained its position as the top country of origin for European patent applications, followed by Germany, China, Japan and Republic of Korea, with China rising to third place after a strong increase (+9.7%) in filings. American innovators filed 47,008 applications,
About this update from Qualcomm Incorporated
[{"type":"list","items":[{"val":[{"type":"text","content":"The United States ranks first in European patent applications, followed by Germany, while China rises to third place ahead of Japan and the Republic of Korea","length":157,"tagName":"p"}]},{"val":[{"type":"text","content":"The key sectors for the U.S. were medical technology, computer technology, digital communication and semiconductors","length":115,"tagName":"p"}]},{"val":[{"type":"text","content":"Leading U.S. companies include Qualcomm, Microsoft, Alphabet, RTX and Interdigital","length":82,"tagName":"p"}]},{"val":[{"type":"text","content":"Top states are California, Massachusetts, Texas, New York, Minnesota ","length":68,"tagName":"p"}]},{"val":[{"type":"text","content":"Global innovation remains robust: for the first time patent applications at the European Patent Office (EPO) exceed 200,000 ","length":123,"tagName":"p"}]},{"val":[{"type":"text","content":"Digital technologies post biggest growth at the EPO, driven by the global race to advance 6G and AI","length":99,"tagName":"p"}]}],"tagName":"ul","bulletedList":true,"length":644,"olType":false},{"type":"text","content":"MUNICH, March 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Companies and inventors from around the world filed a record 201 974 patent applications last year at the European Patent Office (EPO), according to the EPO Technology Dashboard 2025 (formerly Patent Index) published today. The U.S. maintained its position as the top country of origin for European patent applications, followed by Germany, China, Japan and Republic of Korea, with China rising to third place after a strong increase (+9.7%) in filings. American innovators filed 47,008 applications, a dip of -1.6% compared to 2024.","length":572,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Overall, patent filings increased by 1.4% at the EPO in 2025, marking a return to steady growth. Applications from Europe, including all 39 EPO member states, rose by 0.4% (EU27: +0.7%), while those from outside Europe were up 2.1%. Patent applications are an early indicator of R&D investment.","length":298,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"U.S. Top Fields of Technology: Increase in Computers, led by AI","length":63,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"The leading fields of technology for U.S. applicants at the EPO reflect significant strengths in various high-growth industries. The top five ...