Brief Summary of JPO Annual Report 2012

The Japan Patent Office (JPO) published their Annual Report 2012, on June 29th . The following are some of the annual statistics contained in the report.

Patent applications decrease slightly

The number of Patent Applications filed at the JPO in 2011was about 343,000, a 0.6% decrease compared to the previous year.

Data source: JPO (including all of the following)

PCT applications are rising steadily

The number of PCT applications filed at the JPO as the International Receiving Office in 2011 was about 37,000, a 20.5% increase over the previous year. The PCT applications are rising steadily.

Unexamined Patent Application Backlog continues to decline significantly, reducing the FA Pendency

The Unexamined Patent Application Backlog (the number of patent applications awaiting a First Office Action) continued to drop significantly to about 448,000 at the end of 2011, a decrease of 125,000 applications year to year. The FA Pendency (average first action pendency) in the same period was 25.9 months, a reduction of 2.8 months over the previous year.
(According to another JPO Report published at 25th June 2012, JPO announced that FA pendency dropped to 22.2 months at the end of March 2012)

The number of Decisions to Grant a Patent increases, the rate of Decision to Grant a Patent is also on the rise

The rate of patent applications that are allowed as a result of examinations is also on the rise. The rate of Decision to grant a Patent* was 60.5%, a 5.5% increase over the previous year.

* 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 and abandonment after a First Action

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

The grant rate of appeals against Decision of Refusal was 54%, a 2% increase compared to the previous year.

* 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