                                 Patenting Trends

                                Calendar Year 2000

    In calendar year 2000, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted a

    record number of patent documents including 157,497 utility, 17,414

    design, 548 plant, and 524 reissue patents, and 104 statutory invention

    registrations for a total of 176,087 patent documents for the year.

    Annual grants of all patent documents increased by 4.1 percent over the

    total for calendar year 1999 (169,147 grants in 1999). Calendar year

    2000 grants of utility patents (`patents for inventions') increased by

    2.6 percent over the total for 1999 (153,486).

    In 2000, the share of all patents that were issued to U.S.-resident

    inventors was 55.1 percent, down from the 55.6 percent U.S. share for

    1999. California-resident inventors claimed a 20.5 percent share

    (19,845 patents) of these U.S.-resident inventor patents, followed by

    resident inventors from New York (7.3 percent, 7,036 patents), Texas

    (7.0 percent, 6,789 patents), Illinois (4.7 percent, 4,514 patents),

    and New Jersey (4.5 percent, 4,399 patents). U.S.- resident inventors

    of the following areas had large percentage increases in patent receipts

    from 1999 to 2000: Nebraska, North Dakota, Idaho, South Dakota, Wyoming,

    and Vermont.

    There were 20,352 patents granted to U.S. independent inventors in 2000,

    slightly fewer than the 1999 count of U.S. independent inventor patents

    (20,540). The independent inventor share of all patents issued to

    U.S.-resident inventors in 2000 was 21.0 percent, down from a 21.8

    percent share in 1999.

    Foreign-resident inventors claimed a 44.9 percent share of all U.S.

    patents issued in 2000. The share of all U.S. patents that were issued

    to Japan-resident inventors in calendar year 2000 was 18.7 percent, down

    from 19.2 percent in 1999 and 19.7 percent in 1998.  The 2000 share of

    U.S. patents that were issued to Germany-resident inventors was 6.1

    percent, up from a 5.9 percent share for 1999.

    In 2000, the number of patent grants to Taiwan residents increased by a

    substantial 28.3 percent over the total for 1999. Among the countries

    whose residents received the most U.S. patents, Italy and Sweden also

    displayed large increases in the number of patents granted to their

    residents while South Korea and Japan displayed modest declines. Other

    countries with large percentage increases in annual patent receipts for

    2000 include People's Republic of China,  Singapore, Argentina, and

    Ireland.

    The eleven foreign countries whose residents received the most U.S.

    patents during calendar year 2000 are displayed in the table below.

    Following that table is a table that lists states and countries and the

    percentage change in patenting by their residents from 1999 to 2000.

                    2000

    2000           Share of                                   (1999)      (1999 to 2000)

    Rank # Patents All Patents Country *       (Rank in 1999) (# Patents) (Change in # Patents)

    ---- --------- ----------- --------------- -------------- ----------- ---------------------

     1     32,924   18.7%       Japan               (1)         (32,514)   ( + 1.3% )

     2     10,822    6.1%       Germany             (2)          (9,895)   ( + 9.4% )

     3     5,806     3.3%       Taiwan              (3)          (4,526)   ( +28.3% )

     4     4,173     2.4%       France              (4)          (4,097)   ( + 1.9% )

     5     4,090     2.3%       United Kingdom      (5)          (3,900)   ( + 4.9% )

     6     3,925     2.2%       Canada              (7)          (3,678)   ( + 6.7% )

     7     3,472     2.0%       South Korea         (6)          (3,679)   ( - 5.6% )

     8     1,967     1.1%       Italy               (8)          (1,686)   ( +16.7% )

     9     1,738     1.0%       Sweden              (9)          (1,542)   ( +12.7% )

    10     1,458     0.8%       Switzerland        (11)          (1,390)   ( + 4.9% )

    11     1,410     0.8%       Netherlands        (10)          (1,396)   ( + 1.0% )

          97,016    55.1%       United States                   (94,091)   ( + 3.1% )

         176,087   100.0%       All Countries                  (169,147)   ( + 4.1% )

    * Please note that the country of origin is determined by the residence

    of the first-named inventor

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Regional Patenting, Annual Percentage Change in Patenting, Calendar Year

    1999 to 2000 (counts include utility, design, plant, and reissue

    patents, and statutory invention registrations)

    STATE *             1999   2000   TOTAL        Annual %

                                      99-00        Increase

    ALABAMA              473    395     868          -16.5%

    ALASKA                66     57     123          -13.6%

    ARIZONA             1623   1756    3379            8.2%

    ARKANSAS             226    248     474            9.7%

    CALIFORNIA         18860  19845   38705            5.2%

    COLORADO            1987   2076    4063            4.5%

    CONNECTICUT         2026   2086    4112            3.0%

    DELAWARE             444    427     871           -3.8%

    FLORIDA             3040   3128    6168            2.9%

    GEORGIA             1544   1543    3087           -0.1%

    HAWAII                97     93     190           -4.1%

    IDAHO               1263   1614    2877           27.8%

    ILLINOIS            4308   4514    8822            4.8%

    INDIANA             1707   1701    3408           -0.4%

    IOWA                 817    676    1493          -17.3%

    KANSAS               495    475     970           -4.0%

    KENTUCKY             509    517    1026            1.6%

    LOUISIANA            519    579    1098           11.6%

    MAINE                145    151     296            4.1%

    MARYLAND            1642   1483    3125           -9.7%

    MASSACHUSETTS       3819   3841    7660            0.6%

    MICHIGAN            4031   4112    8143            2.0%

    MINNESOTA           2901   2993    5894            3.2%

    MISSISSIPPI          225    211     436           -6.2%

    MISSOURI            1087    969    2056          -10.9%

    MONTANA              142    144     286            1.4%

    NEBRASKA             229    298     527           30.1%

    NEVADA               356    406     762           14.0%

    NEW HAMPSHIRE        692    679    1371           -1.9%

    NEW JERSEY          4371   4399    8770            0.6%

    NEW MEXICO           357    347     704           -2.8%

    NEW YORK            6903   7036   13939            1.9%

    NORTH CAROLINA      1956   2197    4153           12.3%

    NORTH DAKOTA          76     98     174           28.9%

    OHIO                4003   4028    8031            0.6%

    OKLAHOMA             545    616    1161           13.0%

    OREGON              1386   1462    2848            5.5%

    PENNSYLVANIA        4077   4003    8080           -1.8%

    RHODE ISLAND         341    389     730           14.1%

    SOUTH CAROLINA       654    629    1283           -3.8%

    SOUTH DAKOTA          78     98     176           25.6%

    TENNESSEE           1018    962    1980           -5.5%

    TEXAS               6425   6789   13214            5.7%

    UTAH                 748    791    1539            5.7%

    VERMONT              363    416     779           14.6%

    VIRGINIA            1151   1286    2437           11.7%

    WASHINGTON          2038   2048    4086            0.5%

    WEST VIRGINIA        166    158     324           -4.8%

    WISCONSIN           1997   2078    4075            4.1%

    WYOMING               58     67     125           15.5%

    DIST. OF COLUMBIA     63     65     128            3.2%

    GUAM                   4      2       6          -50.0%

    PUERTO RICO           33     31      64           -6.1%

    U.S. (NO STATE)        5      1       6          -80.0%

    VIRGIN (U.S.) ISL      2      3       5           50.0%

    U.S. TOTALS        94091  97016  191107            3.1%

    * Please note that the state of origin is determined by the residence of the first-named inventor

    Patenting Trends, Annual Percentage Change in Patenting, Calendar Year 1999 to 2000

    (counts include utility, design, plant, and reissue patents, and statutory invention registrations)

    COUNTRY *           1999   2000   TOTAL        Annual %

                                      99-00        Increase

    ALBANIA                1      0       1         -100.0%

    ANDORRA                1      0       1         -100.0%

    ANTIGUA & BARBUDA      1      0       1         -100.0%

    ARAB EMIRATES          3      2       5          -33.3%

    ARGENTINA             46     63     109           37.0%

    ARMENIA                1      0       1         -100.0%

    ARUBA                  0      2       2 No 1999 Patents

    AUSTRALIA            832    859    1691            3.2%

    AUSTRIA              505    537    1042            6.3%

    AZERBAIJAN             1      1       2            0.0%

    THE BAHAMAS           11     14      25           27.3%

    BAHRAIN                2      1       3          -50.0%

    BARBADOS               1      0       1         -100.0%

    BELARUS                5      3       8          -40.0%

    BELGIUM              718    756    1474            5.3%

    BERMUDA                1      2       3          100.0%

    BOLIVIA                1      2       3          100.0%

    BRAZIL                98    113     211           15.3%

    BULGARIA               3      1       4          -66.7%

    CANADA              3678   3925    7603            6.7%

    CAYMAN ISLANDS         2      8      10          300.0%

    CHILE                 12     16      28           33.3%

    CHINA,HONG KONG      413    548     961           32.7%

    CHINA P.REP.          99    163     262           64.6%

    COLOMBIA               6     11      17           83.3%

    COSTA RICA            11      8      19          -27.3%

    CROATIA               16      6      22          -62.5%

    CUBA                   3      3       6            0.0%

    CYPRUS                 0      1       1 No 1999 Patents

    CZECH REPUBLIC        25     41      66           64.0%

    CZECHOSLOVAKIA         5     10      15          100.0%

    DENMARK              588    509    1097          -13.4%

    DOMINICA               0      1       1 No 1999 Patents

    DOMINICAN REPL.        3      5       8           66.7%

    ECUADOR                4      0       4         -100.0%

    EGYPT                  3      8      11          166.7%

    ESTONIA                1      4       5          300.0%

    FINLAND              695    649    1344           -6.6%

    FRANCE              4097   4173    8270            1.9%

    GEORGIA (REPL. OF)     1      0       1         -100.0%

    GERMANY             9895  10822   20717            9.4%

    GHANA                  1      0       1         -100.0%

    GIBRALTAR              0      1       1 No 1999 Patents

    GREECE                24     18      42          -25.0%

    GUATEMALA              1      2       3          100.0%

    GUINEA                 0      1       1 No 1999 Patents

    HAITI                  1      0       1         -100.0%

    HONDURAS               2      1       3          -50.0%

    HUNGARY               39     38      77           -2.6%

    ICELAND               12     18      30           50.0%

    INDIA                114    131     245           14.9%

    INDONESIA              5     14      19          180.0%

    IRAN                   1      0       1         -100.0%

    IRELAND              104    139     243           33.7%

    ISRAEL               792    836    1628            5.6%

    ITALY               1686   1967    3653           16.7%

    JAMAICA                1      2       3          100.0%

    JAPAN              32514  32924   65438            1.3%

    JORDAN                 1      0       1         -100.0%

    KAZAKHSTAN             1      4       5          300.0%

    KENYA                  2      3       5           50.0%

    KUWAIT                13      8      21          -38.5%

    KYRGYZSTAN             0      1       1 No 1999 Patents

    LATVIA                 3      1       4          -66.7%

    LEBANON                2      4       6          100.0%

    LIECHTENSTEIN         15     19      34           26.7%

    LITHUANIA              2      2       4            0.0%

    LUXEMBOURG            35     55      90           57.1%

    MADAGASCAR             1      0       1         -100.0%

    MALAYSIA              34     47      81           38.2%

    MALTA                  0      2       2 No 1999 Patents

    MARSHALL ISLANDS       1      0       1         -100.0%

    MAURITIUS              1      0       1         -100.0%

    MEXICO                94    100     194            6.4%

    MOLDOVA, REPL. OF      3      0       3         -100.0%

    MONACO                15     15      30            0.0%

    MOROCCO                2      2       4            0.0%

    NAMIBIA                0      1       1 No 1999 Patents

    NETH. ANTILLES         0      2       2 No 1999 Patents

    NETHERLANDS         1396   1410    2806            1.0%

    NEW ZEALAND          134    136     270            1.5%

    NICARAGUA              1      0       1         -100.0%

    NIGERIA                0      2       2 No 1999 Patents

    NORFOLK ISLAND         1      0       1         -100.0%

    NORWAY               246    266     512            8.1%

    PAKISTAN               0      5       5 No 1999 Patents

    PANAMA                 1      2       3          100.0%

    PARAGUAY               1      0       1         -100.0%

    PERU                   3      3       6            0.0%

    PHILIPPINES           21     12      33          -42.9%

    POLAND                20     13      33          -35.0%

    PORTUGAL               6     12      18          100.0%

    PALAU                  0      1       1 No 1999 Patents

    QATAR                  0      1       1 No 1999 Patents

    ROMANIA                4      4       8            0.0%

    RUSSIAN FEDERATION   185    185     370            0.0%

    SAINT KITTS & NEVI     0      1       1 No 1999 Patents

    SAN MARINO             1      0       1         -100.0%

    SAUDI ARABIA          13     19      32           46.2%

    SINGAPORE            152    242     394           59.2%

    SLOVAKIA               6      4      10          -33.3%

    SLOVENIA              13     18      31           38.5%

    SOUTH AFRICA         127    125     252           -1.6%

    SOUTH KOREA         3679   3472    7151           -5.6%

    SPAIN                265    318     583           20.0%

    SRI LANKA              0      5       5 No 1999 Patents

    SURINAME               2      0       2         -100.0%

    SWEDEN              1542   1738    3280           12.7%

    SWITZERLAND         1390   1458    2848            4.9%

    SYRIA                  1      4       5          300.0%

    TAIWAN              4526   5806   10332           28.3%

    THAILAND              29     30      59            3.4%

    TRINIDAD/TOBAGO        1      0       1         -100.0%

    TURKEY                 4      6      10           50.0%

    TURKS & CAICOS ISL     0      1       1 No 1999 Patents

    U.S.S.R.               3      1       4          -66.7%

    UKRAINE               20     17      37          -15.0%

    UNITED KINGDOM      3900   4090    7990            4.9%

    URUGUAY                4      1       5          -75.0%

    UZBEKISTAN             1      2       3          100.0%

    VENEZUELA             39     32      71          -17.9%

    VIET NAM               2      0       2         -100.0%

    VIRGIN (BRIT.) ISL     3      0       3         -100.0%

    YUGOSLAVIA             3      4       7           33.3%

    ZIMBABWE               1      0       1         -100.0%

    FOREIGN TOTALS     75056  79071  154127            5.3%

    TOTAL             169147 176087  345234            4.1%

    * Please note that the country of origin is determined

    by the residence of the first-named inventor.

    ------------------

    Questions regarding this report should be directed to:

    (address as of 5/2001)

                 U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE

                 Information Products Division

                   Technology Assessment and Forecast Branch

                 PK3-Suite 441

                 Washington, DC  20231

                 tel (703) 306-2600

                 FAX (703) 306-2737

    _______________________________________________________________________________________

    SOURCE:   U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE

              Technology Assessment and Forecast database    (2-15-2001)