The number of Chinese patent applications published in important fields of technology increased significantly in 2021, as the authority announced in Munich on Thursday. In 'digital communication technology' - which includes mobile communications including the 5G standard - China overtook the USA with 4308 (+6.8%) published applications (4115; -2.4%). The Patent Office published its annual report on Thursday.

This time, the DPMA did not carry out an analysis by applicant company, but the most important Chinese company in mobile and network technology is Huawei. Patent applications are published after 18 months, so the figures do not yet reflect the innovations of 2021. Foreign companies and researchers often register their inventions in several technologically important countries and not just in their home countries, with effect for Germany at the DPMA.

In computer technology, the number of patents from China even rose by a third to 2017, but the USA was still far ahead in this field with 5943 patent applications. In audiovisual technology, patent applications from China increased by 42% to 1055. However, US companies were still in first place in this field with 1234 inventions and an increase of over ten percent.

German companies and research institutions were in third place in computer technology with 1814 applications and fourth place in audiovisual technology. "As far as Germany is concerned, there is light and shade. In some areas, the number of innovations is increasing, in others the country is falling behind or does not appear among the leading nations at all," said DPMA President Cornelia Rudloff-Schäffer. "The Chinese innovation dynamic, on the other hand, has been immense in recent years."

In one important field, China is not among the five leading nations: Semiconductors or chips. The ranking in this area is still led by Japan with 1020 applications, followed by the USA (884). In third and fourth place are South Korea (820) and Taiwan (695), with the number of patent applications from both nations increasing by over 45 percent. Germany (646) is in fifth place.