U.S. Patent System Holds Steady in Second Place in 2020 International IP Rankings

U.S. Patent System Holds Steady in Second Place in 2020 International IP Rankings

United States Overall Score in Comparison. Source: GIPC 8th Annual International IP Index (2020).

On February 4, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC) released its eighth annual International IP Index, Art of the Possible. The new report evaluates how 53 global economies approach intellectual property (IP)—from patent and copyright policies to commercialization of IP assets and ratification of international treaties. This year, U.S. and European economies remained atop the global IP rankings, while many emerging markets also showed big improvements thanks to commitments to adopt pro-IP measures.

Once again, the United States achieved the top overall ranking as the strongest intellectual property regime in the world, scoring 95.28 overall compared to second place United Kingdom, which scored 93.62 overall. Only four other countries achieved an overall IP score in the 90s on the GIPC scale – France (91.50), Germany (91.08), Sweden (90.56) and Japan (90.40). Notwithstanding, the Netherlands (89.64) and Ireland (88.98) were very close behind. Rounding the top 10 were Switzerland (85.34) and Spain (84.64).

The U.S. patent system also held steady, achieving a four-way tie for second place in the patent specific worldwide rankings with Japan, South Korea and Switzerland, all coming in with 94.44 on the GIPC scale. In first place again this year for patents was Singapore, which marks the third consecutive year Singapore has achieved recognition as the top overall patent jurisdiction in the world.

Although achieving first place in the patent rankings once again, Singapore found itself just outside the top 10 overall on the GIPC scale, with an overall score of 84.42.  While Singapore had a strong third place showing on copyright matters, weighing down Singapore’s overall score was its scores relative to trademark matters, design rights and trade secrets. On trademarks the country scored only 75, but that was sadly still good enough for a four-way tie for thirteenth place, which shows much more needs to be done internationally on trademark rights. On trade secrets, Singapore scored 58.33, good enough for a two-way tie for nineteenth place. On design rights Singapore scored 67.50, good enough for a three-way tie for twenty-second place.

When focusing on the patent specific rankings, the UK patent system continues to lag its second place overall performance, finding itself in an eight-way tie for fifth place with France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Taiwan, achieving a score of 91.67 on the GIPC scale. No other country obtained a score in the 90s, and only five other countries achieved an overall IP score above 80 – Italy (88.89), Hungary (86.11), Israel (83.33), Australia (80.56) and Greece (80.56).

“Intellectual property continues to be a massive economic driver for jobs and investment. In the United States alone, IP supports more than $6 trillion in GDP, 81 industries, and more than 45 million jobs,” said David Hirschmann, President and CEO of GIPC.  “To drive similar success at home, we encourage policymakers around the world to use this report as a roadmap to drive investment in cutting-edge sectors, as well as to access the world’s innovation and creative content.”

There will be much more to report in the coming days and weeks as this report is digested. The U.S. Chamber is hosting an event on Wednesday evening, February 5, 2020, to formally announce the results as they do each year. For the meantime, here are the specific subcategories of the GIPC IP rankings and how the U.S. scored and ranked in each:

 

U.S. Score Rank
Overall 95.28 1st
Patents 94.44 2nd (4-way tie)
Copyrights 96.43 1st
Trademarks 100 1st (2-way tie)
Design 80 16th
Trade Secrets 91.67 7th (2-way tie)
Commercialization 94.5 3rd
Enforcement 94.57 1st
System Efficiency 95 1st (8-way tie)
Treaty Ratification 100 1st (9-way tie)

Patrick Kilbride, Senior Vice President of the Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC) at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, will be joining us at IPWatchdog CON2020 in Dallas, Texas, on March 16, 2020 to discuss the GIPC International IP Index. Joining him will be Raymond Millien, Chief IP Counsel for Volvo Cars Corporation, and Kirk Goodwin, Assistant General Counsel and Global Head of Patents for Whirlpool Corporation. Click Here to Register.

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18 comments so far.

  • [Avatar for jacek]
    jacek
    February 15, 2020 04:49 pm

    Guys Do not worry. The truth about the US patent system is spreading around. There is no question that sooner or later, no sane inventor will invest his/her effort and money in US patents. It is only a question of time. Today you can get free coffee in Brussels (near EU headquarters) Courtesy of Facebook. They try to spread their disease abroad. I was recently talking to a patent Lawyer in Poland. He was shocked by learning the real state of affairs here in the US. It is beyond consciousness. It is no question, high treason.

  • [Avatar for Deep State]
    Deep State
    February 14, 2020 05:38 pm

    As long as people keep filing patents and paying USPTO, that’s the most important issue. The USPTO needs to remain funded.

  • [Avatar for angry dude]
    angry dude
    February 11, 2020 12:36 pm

    Model 101@15

    Correct.

    The nonsense statistics above are manufactured by BIG SV infringers
    …BUT digested and published by US government… and that’s the biggest problem

    Wash dc is deeply corrupt beyond repair
    So much for draining the swamp…

  • [Avatar for Model 101]
    Model 101
    February 11, 2020 09:18 am

    Paul and Angry Dude are 100% correct.

    Go Paul!

    Go Angry Dude!

    The statistics above are nonsense made up by SV to perpetuate the status quo.

  • [Avatar for Anon]
    Anon
    February 7, 2020 07:11 am

    And I said:

    and angry dude’s mantra of “just quit” makes him every bit the same type of shill for the Efficient Infringers.

    Your version of common sense is the ‘shill’ of the Efficient Infringers who want the very thing that you mouth.

    You say ‘no emotion,’ and I say: no reason.

    Wake up son and realize how your message aligns with those that you would rail against.

  • [Avatar for angry dude]
    angry dude
    February 6, 2020 10:44 pm

    Anon @12

    I said:
    WE DO NOT NEED SUCH PATENT SYSTEM. PERIOD.
    No emotions here, just common sense

  • [Avatar for Anon]
    Anon
    February 6, 2020 06:07 pm

    … and angry dude’s mantra of “just quit” makes him every bit the same type of shill for the Efficient Infringers.

    Way to go (again), letting emotion vacate any sense of reason.

  • [Avatar for angry dude]
    angry dude
    February 6, 2020 05:50 pm

    Benny,

    Everybody here knows that you are a shill for patent infringers

    Paul is 100% correct here – individual patents even of the highest quality don’t matter anymore – only huge portfolios can be enforced, at astronomical expense and only to some degree.
    Universities have no reason to stockpile patents cause they are not engaged in industrial competition and patent values lost more than 90% in the past 10 years or so

    Only the largest multinational corporations like Apple continue to stockpile patents to intimidate smaller competitors

    We do not need such patent system. Period.

  • [Avatar for jacek]
    jacek
    February 6, 2020 02:08 pm

    2-nd place? It is an insulting piece of pure propaganda produced solely to preserve the interest of the heavyweight infringers. Dear lawmaker. Have peace of mind, sleep well (while this country goes to the dogs). Everything is beautiful and dandy.

  • [Avatar for Benny]
    Benny
    February 6, 2020 09:43 am

    Paul,
    Your theory of independent inventors does not hold true for any technical field I’ve worked in. (Unless you consider scientists working in academic institutions independent). My real world experience is that assignees (not inventors) stockpile patents to keep the competition at bay. Some have commented here in the past that this is a case of the patent system doing what it is meant to do.

  • [Avatar for Paul Morinville]
    Paul Morinville
    February 5, 2020 08:23 pm

    Benny, If you take a look at the applicants, you will find that only a very small single digit percentage are inventors. Those still filing are ignorant of the destruction you and your ilk has brought on their future if they get a patent.

    The vast majority are huge corporations who file mass quantities of patents for minuscule improvements with the intention of eventually repackaging them to sell to NPE’s who will use them against their competitors.

    These days, if a patent is important, it will be invalidated, so the only patents that can be enforced are those bundled in huge portfolios of minor improvements.

    What you do not understand (perhaps because you are willfully blind, are a history dolt, or are just not curious person) is that the important inventions, those that create new industries, are most often invented by small inventors. But since the patent system has failed for small inventors, small inventors no longer file for patents. Instead they choose fishing – at least it brings some return for the work and time that goes into it.

  • [Avatar for box7003]
    box7003
    February 5, 2020 06:59 pm

    The US patent system is a ship wreck, unless your a big company. I can’t start the product business I want because there is no longer assurance I will be paid for my efforts. Looking at service start-ups.

  • [Avatar for Benny]
    Benny
    February 5, 2020 03:07 pm

    Paul, in light of you comment, to what do you attribute a quarter of a million applications filed each year, many of them by non-US applicants?

  • [Avatar for angry dude]
    angry dude
    February 5, 2020 01:18 pm

    Paul Morinville is 100% correct: There is no patent system left in USA

    Forget about EBay, forget about medical diagnostics… but when I go to my patent attorney with an invention in consumer electronics HARDWARE (aka wireless garage door opener) and he is unable to tell me for sure if it’s even patent-eligible or not… just pause for a second to grasp the reality of this.. US patent attorney can’t tell me if my invention in HIS field of patent prosecution is patent eligible or not under 101.,.
    Can it get any worse that this ???

    All those surveys and rankings are PAID propaganda
    To the morgue with US patents

  • [Avatar for Paul Morinville]
    Paul Morinville
    February 5, 2020 10:38 am

    This report is not based in reality. Not even close. Most inventors in the US can’t even get their day in court. Those who can get their patents invalidated. That means we have no patent system and it cannot possible be #2.

    The US rightfully dropped to #12 for a year due to the PTAB, Alice and eBay, then WITH NOTHING HAVING CHANGED, it was placed at #2.

    This is nothing but political report paid for by the Big tech to shore up their sham arguments in Congress that maintain the status quo of a crashed patent system.

    Political swill. The chamber is making a fool of themselves and all their members.

  • [Avatar for MaxDrei]
    MaxDrei
    February 5, 2020 08:08 am

    In the context of being Pro-IP, and under the rubric of “Adherence to International Treaties”, the Chamber gives the USA a Rating of 100%. It doesn’t get any better than that, does it? Yet I suspect that many patent attorneys in the field of medical diagnostics (like your regular contributor Paul Cole) would wonder about that rating.

    If I remember correctly, not only Paul but also the UK Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys have been trying (as amici curiae) to persuade SCOTUS to be at least as Pro-IP in medical diagnostics as is obligatory ever since the USA signed up to GATT-TRIPS.

  • [Avatar for Anon]
    Anon
    February 5, 2020 08:02 am

    I did not put a lot of weight into the hysteria when the chamber of commerce ‘rankings’ dropped the US out of the top ten, and for the same reasons, do not put a lot of weight into those same rankings that has the US in such a ‘lofty’ position.

  • [Avatar for Pro Say]
    Pro Say
    February 4, 2020 11:04 pm

    While it may be true that the U.S. is / remains in a 4-way tie for 2nd in patents generally (which is nothing to crow about after being #1 for some 100+ years), were there an analysis of which countries were doing the best to protect innovations in the critically-important, future-of-the-world areas of, e.g.; AI, machine learning,and medical diagnostics; thanks to SCOTUS, the CAFC, and a big-2019 promises-but-still-no-action Congress, we might not make even the top 7 or 8.