Number of patent applications
The number of applications at the GPTO increased slightly compared to the previous year (+ 0.3%). Among the 5 strongest technology fields Transport (+ 5.8%); Electrical machinery and equipment, Electrical energy (+ 2.3%); Machine elements (-6.3%); Measurement technology (+ 1.1%) and Motors, pumps, turbines (-6.6%) the strongest rise was recorded in transport, wherein applications in some other fields declined. In the same period the number of applications at the EPO increased by 4.6%.
The Top-10 Applicants 2018 at the GPTO were (number of applications in brackets):
Robert Bosch GmbH (4 230), Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG (2 417), Ford Global Technologies, LLC (1 921), Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (1 752), Daimler AG (1 559), VOLKSWAGEN AG (1 304), GM Global Technology Operations, LLC (1 267), ZF Friedrichshafen AG (1 262), AUDI AG (1 232) and Siemens AG (711). The registration figures emphasize Germany’s role as innovative automotive country.
In a comparison of the federal states, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria are the leading applicants; more than half (63.2%) of the applications come from these two federal states. The number of registrations in Bavaria declined (-4.1%), whereas in Baden-Württemberg there was a slight increase (+0.7). The South therefore retains its leading innovation role in the Federal Republic.
https://www.dpma.de/docs/presse/statistik_2018_patente.pdf
https://www.dpma.de/dpma/veroeffentlichungen/statistiken/csv-statistiken/index.html