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U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
Electronic Information Products Division
Patent Technology Monitoring Team (PTMT)

# PATENTING TRENDS
CALENDAR YEAR 2007

(document dated 21-FEB-2008)

In calendar year 2007, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted 157,283 utility, 24,063 design, 1,047 plant, and 508 reissue patents, and 29 statutory invention registrations for a total of 182,930 patent documents for the year. Annual grants of all patent documents decreased by 6.9 percent when compared to the total for calendar year 2006 (196,437 grants in 2006). Calendar year 2007 grants of utility patents ('patents for inventions') numbered 157,283, a 9.5 percent decrease below the total for 2006 (173,772).

In 2007, the share of all patents that were issued to U.S.-resident inventors was 51.2 percent, a decrease from the U.S. share for 2006 (52.1%). California-resident inventors claimed a 24.1 percent share (22,601 patents) of these U.S.-resident inventor patents, followed by resident inventors from Texas (6.6 percent, 6,228 patents), New York (6.4 percent, 6,025 patents), Washington (4.2 percent, 3,894 patents), Massachusetts (4.1 percent, 3,837 patents), Illinois (4.0 percent, 3,712 patents), and Michigan (3.9 percent, 3,695 patents). U.S.-resident inventors of the following areas had the largest percentage increases in patent receipts from 2006 to 2007: Mississippi, North Dakota, Vermont, Puerto Rico and Wyoming.

There were 13,773 patents granted to U.S. independent inventors in 2007, down from the 2006 count of U.S. independent inventor patents (15,247). The independent inventor share of all patents issued to U.S.-resident inventors dropped to 14.7 percent in 2007 from a 14.9 percent share in 2006.

Foreign-resident inventors claimed a 48.8 percent share of all U.S. patents issued in 2007. The share of all U.S. patents that were issued to Japan-resident inventors in calendar year 2006 was 19.6 percent, down from 20.1 percent in 2006. The 2007 share of U.S. patents that were issued to Germany-resident inventors was 5.5 percent, the same percent as in 2006. For Taiwan-resident inventors, the 2007 share was 4.1 percent, up from 4.0 percent in 2006 and the share for South Korean-resident inventors jumped from 3.3 percent for 2006 to 4.0 percent for 2007. Countries with notable increases in patent receipts for 2007 include Chile, Luxembourg, Malaysia, People's Republic of China, and Poland.

The ten foreign countries whose residents received the most U.S. patents during calendar year 2007 are displayed in the table below. Following the table is a detail table that lists states and countries and the percentage change in patenting by their residents from 2006 to 2007.

This table displays the ten foreign countries whose residents received the most U.S. patents during calendar year 2007. Figures for the United States and for all countries overall are listed at the end of the table. Counts include utility, design, plant, and reissue patents, and statutory invention registrations.
Rank in 2007 | Number of Patents in 2007 | Share of All Patents in 2007 | Country * | (Rank in 2006) | (Number of patents in 2006) | (2006 to 2007) (Change in Number of patents)
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
1 | 35,942 | 19.6% | Japan | (1) | (39,411) | ( -8.8% )
2 | 10,012 | 5.5% | Germany | (2) | (10,889) | ( -8.1% )
3 | 7,491 | 4.1% | Taiwan | (3) | (7,919) | ( -5.4% )
4 | 7,264 | 4.0% | South Korea | (4) | (6,509) | ( 11.6% )
5 | 4,031 | 2.2% | United Kingdom | (5) | (4,329) | ( -6.9% )
6 | 3,970 | 2.2% | Canada | (6) | (4,094) | ( -3.0% )
7 | 3,720 | 2.0% | France | (7) | (3,856) | ( -3.5% )
8 | 1,836 | 1.0% | Italy | (8) | (1,899) | ( -3.3% )
9 | 1,596 | 0.9% | Netherlands | (9) | (1,647) | ( -3.1% )
10 | 1,546 | 0.8% | Australia | (10) | (1,538) | ( 0.5% )
| 93,691 | 51.2% | United States |  | (102,267) | ( -8.4% )
| 182,930 | 100.0% | All Countries |  | (196,437) | ( -6.9% )

## Notes:

> * Please note that the country of origin is determined by the residence of the first-named inventor.

## Annual Percentage Change in Patent Counts
By U.S. State and Country of Origin *
Calendar Year 2006 to 2007

This table displays states and countries of origin * along with the annual percentage change in patent counts (including utility, design, plant, and reissue patents, and statutory invention registrations) from calendar year 2006 to 2007. U.S. and foreign totals are displayed at the end of each corresponding section of the table. U.S., foreign, and overall totals are displayed at the beginning of the table.
State or Country * |  | Number of Patents in 2006 | Number of Patents in 2007 | Number of Patents in 2006-2007 | Annual Percent Increase
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Total, U.S. And Foreign Origin |  | 196437 | 182930 | 379367 | -6.9%
-- Subtotal -- U.S. Origin |  | 102267 | 93691 | 195958 | -8.4%
-- Subtotal -- Foreign Origin |  | 94170 | 89239 | 183409 | -5.2%
ALABAMA |  | 430 | 358 | 788 | -16.7%
ALASKA |  | 45 | 24 | 69 | -46.7%
ARIZONA |  | 1893 | 1826 | 3719 | -3.5%
ARKANSAS |  | 185 | 169 | 354 | -8.6%
CALIFORNIA |  | 25043 | 22601 | 47644 | -9.8%
COLORADO |  | 2349 | 1983 | 4332 | -15.6%
CONNECTICUT |  | 1857 | 1611 | 3468 | -13.2%
DELAWARE |  | 396 | 359 | 755 | -9.3%
FLORIDA |  | 3264 | 3092 | 6356 | -5.3%
GEORGIA |  | 1719 | 1580 | 3299 | -8.1%
HAWAII |  | 101 | 82 | 183 | -18.8%
IDAHO |  | 1717 | 1388 | 3105 | -19.2%
ILLINOIS |  | 4053 | 3712 | 7765 | -8.4%
INDIANA |  | 1499 | 1385 | 2884 | -7.6%
IOWA |  | 732 | 664 | 1396 | -9.3%
KANSAS |  | 581 | 523 | 1104 | -10.0%
KENTUCKY |  | 471 | 505 | 976 | 7.2%
LOUISIANA |  | 365 | 294 | 659 | -19.5%
MAINE |  | 156 | 126 | 282 | -19.2%
MARYLAND |  | 1558 | 1409 | 2967 | -9.6%
MASSACHUSETTS |  | 4369 | 3837 | 8206 | -12.2%
MICHIGAN |  | 4179 | 3695 | 7874 | -11.6%
MINNESOTA |  | 3268 | 2920 | 6188 | -10.6%
MISSISSIPPI |  | 153 | 184 | 337 | 20.3%
MISSOURI |  | 863 | 861 | 1724 | -0.2%
MONTANA |  | 136 | 131 | 267 | -3.7%
NEBRASKA |  | 239 | 254 | 493 | 6.3%
NEVADA |  | 472 | 468 | 940 | -0.8%
NEW HAMPSHIRE |  | 657 | 618 | 1275 | -5.9%
NEW JERSEY |  | 3628 | 3154 | 6782 | -13.1%
NEW MEXICO |  | 354 | 304 | 658 | -14.1%
NEW YORK |  | 6408 | 6025 | 12433 | -6.0%
NORTH CAROLINA |  | 2233 | 2007 | 4240 | -10.1%
NORTH DAKOTA |  | 77 | 92 | 169 | 19.5%
OHIO |  | 3295 | 3062 | 6357 | -7.1%
OKLAHOMA |  | 583 | 526 | 1109 | -9.8%
OREGON |  | 2536 | 2282 | 4818 | -10.0%
PENNSYLVANIA |  | 3191 | 2987 | 6178 | -6.4%
RHODE ISLAND |  | 354 | 380 | 734 | 7.3%
SOUTH CAROLINA |  | 691 | 542 | 1233 | -21.6%
SOUTH DAKOTA |  | 79 | 66 | 145 | -16.5%
TENNESSEE |  | 817 | 793 | 1610 | -2.9%
TEXAS |  | 6717 | 6228 | 12945 | -7.3%
UTAH |  | 800 | 766 | 1566 | -4.3%
VERMONT |  | 486 | 546 | 1032 | 12.3%
VIRGINIA |  | 1232 | 1165 | 2397 | -5.4%
WASHINGTON |  | 3620 | 3894 | 7514 | 7.6%
WEST VIRGINIA |  | 111 | 116 | 227 | 4.5%
WISCONSIN |  | 2151 | 1928 | 4079 | -10.4%
WYOMING |  | 56 | 62 | 118 | 10.7%
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA |  | 69 | 71 | 140 | 2.9%
GUAM |  | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2006 Patents
PUERTO RICO |  | 26 | 29 | 55 | 11.5%
UNITED STATES |  | 2 | 3 | 5 | 50.0%
VIRGIN (U.S.) ISLANDS |  | 1 | 3 | 4 | 200.0%
-- Subtotal -- U.S. Origin |  | 102267 | 93691 | 195958 | -8.4%
JAPAN |  | 39411 | 35942 | 75353 | -8.8%
GERMANY |  | 10889 | 10012 | 20901 | -8.1%
TAIWAN |  | 7920 | 7491 | 15411 | -5.4%
SOUTH KOREA |  | 6509 | 7264 | 13773 | 11.6%
UNITED KINGDOM |  | 4329 | 4031 | 8360 | -6.9%
CANADA |  | 4094 | 3970 | 8064 | -3.0%
FRANCE |  | 3856 | 3720 | 7576 | -3.5%
ITALY |  | 1899 | 1836 | 3735 | -3.3%
NETHERLANDS |  | 1647 | 1596 | 3243 | -3.1%
AUSTRALIA |  | 1538 | 1546 | 3084 | 0.5%
SWITZERLAND |  | 1388 | 1280 | 2668 | -7.8%
SWEDEN |  | 1360 | 1278 | 2638 | -6.0%
ISRAEL |  | 1325 | 1219 | 2544 | -8.0%
CHINA P.REP. |  | 970 | 1235 | 2205 | 27.3%
FINLAND |  | 1005 | 943 | 1948 | -6.2%
CHINA,HONG KONG S.A.R. |  | 753 | 756 | 1509 | 0.4%
BELGIUM |  | 720 | 624 | 1344 | -13.3%
AUSTRIA |  | 626 | 553 | 1179 | -11.7%
INDIA |  | 506 | 578 | 1084 | 14.2%
DENMARK |  | 546 | 511 | 1057 | -6.4%
SINGAPORE |  | 469 | 451 | 920 | -3.8%
SPAIN |  | 381 | 363 | 744 | -4.7%
NORWAY |  | 272 | 286 | 558 | 5.1%
RUSSIAN FEDERATION |  | 176 | 193 | 369 | 9.7%
IRELAND |  | 198 | 161 | 359 | -18.7%
NEW ZEALAND |  | 173 | 165 | 338 | -4.6%
MALAYSIA |  | 131 | 173 | 304 | 32.1%
BRAZIL |  | 148 | 118 | 266 | -20.3%
SOUTH AFRICA |  | 127 | 116 | 243 | -8.7%
MEXICO |  | 88 | 88 | 176 | 0.0%
LUXEMBOURG |  | 49 | 66 | 115 | 34.7%
HUNGARY |  | 49 | 55 | 104 | 12.2%
ARGENTINA |  | 47 | 53 | 100 | 12.8%
CZECH REPUBLIC |  | 37 | 41 | 78 | 10.8%
POLAND |  | 31 | 39 | 70 | 25.8%
THAILAND |  | 42 | 25 | 67 | -40.5%
PHILIPPINES |  | 35 | 21 | 56 | -40.0%
TURKEY |  | 25 | 24 | 49 | -4.0%
GREECE |  | 23 | 25 | 48 | 8.7%
SLOVENIA |  | 24 | 22 | 46 | -8.3%
COSTA RICA |  | 26 | 17 | 43 | -34.6%
ICELAND |  | 24 | 19 | 43 | -20.8%
CHILE |  | 14 | 27 | 41 | 92.9%
SAUDI ARABIA |  | 20 | 20 | 40 | 0.0%
UKRAINE |  | 25 | 12 | 37 | -52.0%
VENEZUELA |  | 15 | 17 | 32 | 13.3%
INDONESIA |  | 16 | 15 | 31 | -6.3%
PORTUGAL |  | 17 | 14 | 31 | -17.6%
CROATIA |  | 14 | 16 | 30 | 14.3%
LIECHTENSTEIN |  | 20 | 9 | 29 | -55.0%
MONACO |  | 13 | 12 | 25 | -7.7%
ROMANIA |  | 9 | 12 | 21 | 33.3%
LITHUANIA |  | 11 | 6 | 17 | -45.0%
EGYPT |  | 4 | 12 | 16 | 200.0%
KUWAIT |  | 7 | 8 | 15 | 14.3%
BELARUS |  | 5 | 9 | 14 | 80.0%
SLOVAKIA |  | 4 | 9 | 13 | 125.0%
THE BAHAMAS |  | 7 | 5 | 12 | -28.6%
CAYMAN ISLANDS |  | 0 | 12 | 12 | No 2006 Patents
COLOMBIA |  | 7 | 5 | 12 | -28.6%
ESTONIA |  | 2 | 10 | 12 | 400.0%
ARAB EMIRATES |  | 9 | 2 | 11 | -77.8%
BULGARIA |  | 4 | 7 | 11 | 75.0%
CYPRUS |  | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0.0%
ECUADOR |  | 3 | 5 | 8 | 66.7%
GEORGIA (REPUBLIC OF) |  | 3 | 5 | 8 | 66.7%
BERMUDA |  | 2 | 5 | 7 | 150.0%
LEBANON |  | 2 | 5 | 7 | 150.0%
PAKISTAN |  | 2 | 5 | 7 | 150.0%
SRI LANKA |  | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0.0%
VIRGIN (BRITISH) ISLANDS |  | 5 | 1 | 6 | -80.0%
SERBIA |  | 0 | 6 | 6 | No 2006 Patents
CUBA |  | 2 | 3 | 5 | 50.0%
IRAN |  | 2 | 3 | 5 | 50.0%
LATVIA |  | 2 | 3 | 5 | 50.0%
PERU |  | 3 | 2 | 5 | -33.3%
URUGUAY |  | 2 | 3 | 5 | 50.0%
BARBADOS |  | 3 | 1 | 4 | -66.7%
DOMINICAN REPL. |  | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0.0%
KAZAKHSTAN |  | 1 | 3 | 4 | 200.0%
KENYA |  | 3 | 1 | 4 | -66.7%
MALTA |  | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0.0%
MOROCCO |  | 3 | 1 | 4 | -66.7%
SAMOA |  | 0 | 4 | 4 | No 2006 Patents
SYRIA |  | 3 | 1 | 4 | -66.7%
TRINIDAD/TOBAGO |  | 3 | 1 | 4 | -66.7%
ARMENIA |  | 2 | 1 | 3 | -50.0%
AZERBAIJAN |  | 1 | 2 | 3 | 100.0%
GIBRALTAR |  | 1 | 2 | 3 | 100.0%
JORDAN |  | 1 | 2 | 3 | 100.0%
TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS |  | 1 | 2 | 3 | 100.0%
YUGOSLAVIA |  | 2 | 1 | 3 | -50.0%
HONDURAS |  | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.0%
MACAU |  | 2 | 0 | 2 | -100.0%
MYANMAR |  | 0 | 2 | 2 | No 2006 Patents
QATAR |  | 2 | 0 | 2 | -100.0%
TUNISIA |  | 2 | 0 | 2 | -100.0%
ZIMBABWE |  | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.0%
SEYCHELLES |  | 2 | 0 | 2 | -100.0%
ALGERIA |  | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.0%
ANDORRA |  | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2006 Patents
ANGUILLA |  | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.0%
BANGLADESH |  | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2006 Patents
BENIN |  | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2006 Patents
CAMEROON |  | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2006 Patents
EL SALVADOR |  | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.0%
ETHIOPIA |  | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2006 Patents
FIJI |  | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.0%
FR. POLYNESIA |  | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.0%
GABON |  | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2006 Patents
GHANA |  | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2006 Patents
GUATEMALA |  | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.0%
JAMAICA |  | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2006 Patents
NETH. ANTILLES |  | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2006 Patents
NIGERIA |  | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2006 Patents
PARAGUAY |  | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.0%
UZBEKISTAN |  | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.0%
VIET NAM |  | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2006 Patents
-- Subtotal -- Foreign Origin |  | 94170 | 89239 | 183409 | -5.2%

## Notes:

> * Please note that the country of origin is determined by the residence of the first-named inventor.

## Contact Information -

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> Electronic Information Products Division - PTMT
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