Q44In 2005, where was Japan ranked in terms of the number of international patents filed?
(a) First
(b) Second
(c) Third

A44 According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the United Nations specialist body with responsibility for the worldwide promotion of intellectual property protection, there were 136,500 international patent applications in 2005.

Japan ranked second in the world in terms of applications, with 24,841. So the correct answer is (b). The United States ranked top with 46,697 applications, and Germany third with 16,000. Fourth was France, followed by the United Kingdom in fifth position.

Among the top 10 nations from Asia, South Korea was sixth with 4,688 applications, and China tenth with 2,493.

In 2005, China's applications increased by a significant 46.1% on the previous year, when it had had 1,706 patent applications.