Brief Summary of JPO 2011 Annual Report

The Japan Patent Office (JPO) published the 2011 Annual Report on June 30. The following are some of the annual statistics contained in the report.

Patent applications decrease slightly

The number of patent applications filed to the JPO in 2010 was 344,598, a 1.1% decrease over the previous year. Of those, 54,517 applications were filed by residents of foreign countries, a 2.3% increase compared to the previous year.

PCT applications on the rise

The number of PCT applications filed to the JPO as the Receiving Office in 2010 was 31,524, a 7.6% increase over the previous year. The PCT applications will continue to be on the rise.

The number of Decisions to Grant a Patent increases, boosting the rate of Decisions to Grant a Patent

The number of Decisions to Grant a Patent issued in 2010 was 205,652, about a 15% increase over the previous year.
The patent examiner enhancement plan*, began in 2001, has increased the number of examinations over the past several years, so that the number of Decisions to Grant a Patent has increased.
The rate of patent applications that are allowed as a result of examinations is also on the rise. The rate of Decisions to Grant a Patent ** was 54% in 2010, a 4.7% increase over the previous year.

* JPO’s examiner enhancement plan: During 10 years from 2001 to 2010, the JPO employed a total of 607 new patent examiners, including 490 fixed-term examiners. The fixed number of patent examiners in FY2011 is 1,711. (Information source: 2011 Annual Report)
** Rate of Decisions to Grant a Patent: the number of Decisions to Grant a Patent / (the number of Decisions to Grant a Patent + the number of Decisions of Refusal + the number of withdrawals/abandonment after a First Office Action)

The grant rate of appeals against Decision of Refusal* increases slightly

* Grant rate of appeals against Decision of Refusal: the number of decisions to grant an appeal/( the number of decisions to grant an appeal + the number of decisions to deny (dismiss) an appeal )