Patents are commonly used as business tools to define a monopoly right within a particular country or across multiple countries, allowing the patent owner or licensee to commercialise the patented technology and hold competitors at bay. But patents and pending patent applications are also useful to attract investment; provide technology protection in tenders and commercial negotiations; defend against an infringement action or attract new business opportunities (by offering cross-licencing and in-licencing potential); and to entice new customers. Generally, patents are seen as providing an avenue for business growth.
It’s not surprising then that the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) tracks patents to obtain insights into the businesses operating within particular technology fields, to assess the rate of growth (or decline) of that field, and to observe market trends. Let’s look at some of that data in relation to space technologies.
In the years 2000-2023, the global patenting activity in space technologies has increased at a compound annual growth rate of about 8% between 2000 and 2023, and of about 15% between 2010 and 2023 after more private companies entered the market.
Inventors from China have been responsible for the highest number of patent families1 relating to space transportation technologies, totalling a whopping 38,000 patent family publications compared to almost 17,000 patent families by US inventors. Japanese inventors were responsible for about 6,500 patent families over the same period, followed by Korea (around 4,500), France and Germany (at around 2,100 each), Russia (1,700), and the UK (1,400). Our friends over the ditch in Australia were responsible for about 500 patent families, but unfortunately, New Zealand’s contribution was too low to be reported.
The growth of Chinese research efforts in the field of space transportation since 2000 is remarkable, especially given that Chinese inventors were responsible for only 15 patent families in 2000. The Chinese Government’s strong focus on space exploration within its national development strategy has likely helped, as has the Government’s generous patent subsidies. Those subsidies have now been phased out. Although we can expect to see a consequent slow-down in patent applications filed by Chinese inventors, the rate of change is difficult to forecast.
The United States also experienced growth in the field of space transportation between 2000 and 2023, but at a slower rate, from 560 published patent families in 2000 to about 1,070 in 2023.
Interestingly, WIPO’s analysis showed that Finland, Denmark and Sweden have been specialising more in space research than any other nation since 2020.
If you’d like to learn more about WIPO’s analysis of global patenting trends within the space industry, I suggest taking a look at the WIPO Technology Trends Technical Annex: Future of Transportation in Space. And if you’d like assistance with private research into competitor patents, or help commercialising your own technology, please feel free to get in touch. We’re only a phone call away.
1A patent family is a term commonly used to refer to a group of patents and patent applications across multiple countries that relate to the same invention and therefore have the same inventors.
