Patent applications provide an insight into the research and development landscape and are therefore indicators of innovation and possible economic growth. There are many reasons why it is important for companies, research institutions or inventors to protect their intellectual property rights by applying for patents. Patents help patent holders to protect their technical invention from imitators and to defend themselves against imitators.

IP rights enable companies to position themselves by protecting a technology that, in the best case, guarantees market leadership. By holding patents, researchers and developers can demonstrate a pioneering role in their field of research or industry and inspire customers or partners with their innovative strength. Of course, patents also represent real value: They can be sold or used to generate licence income.
Indicators such as R&D input, the number of patents, patent citations and product announcements are proven and reliable indicators of innovation performance for investors such as venture capitalists, business angels and banks. They make a significant contribution to increasing the chances of obtaining outside capital.

Last spring, white ip Patent & Legal reported on the development of patent applications in Germany in 2022. The latest patent statistics from the German Patent and Trade Mark Office, which were published in March 2024, now provide an interesting insight into the performance of the German economy in 2023.

Development of patent applications in Germany in 2023

The number of patent applications in Germany rose again for the first time in 2023. While there were 67,905 registrations in 2019, the number fell to 57,214 in 2022. In 2023, the number of national German patent applications rose again slightly to 58,656. More than half of these (38,469 patent applications) originate from Germany.

It is a positive development that the portfolio of patents granted for Germany rose from 142,659 to 148,359 patents at the end of 2023.