With 588 patent applications made last year, the automotive supplier Valeo was the first French applicant in Europe in 2022. It is in particular the transformation of the automotive world towards electrification which explains this dynamism.
Christophe Périllat, CEO of Valeo, however, sees a bigger picture, explaining in a press release that
“our efforts are focused on our four areas at the heart of the transformation of mobility: electrification, driving aids, lighting and the reinvention of life on board”
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The automotive world, led by Valeo, is often at the forefront of innovation, proving that this sector is changing a lot.
In 2021, Valeo was number three in France, with 500 deposit requests.
In 2019, the equipment manufacturer was 2nd, with 539 patents.
The members of the French top three do not move much over the years: it is very often the Commissariat for Atomic Energy (CEA) and the aeronautics giant Safran.
In 2022, the latter occupies the second step of the podium and the CEA the third.
In 2021, the order of this podium was Safran-CEA-Valeo.
China, the most dynamic country
France ranks 5th for patent applications in Europe, with 10,900.
She consistently ranks there.
The gap is significant with the 4th player, China, which shows 19,041 requests.
And even more with Japan (21,576), Germany (24,684) and, above all, the United States (48,808).
If the ranking does not change between 2021 and 2022, the dynamics are very different between the countries.
Never have so many patents been filed in Europe as last year.
193,460 applications were made in 2022, according to the European Patent Office (EPO), which represents an increase of 2.5% over one year.
In the top 10, the most dynamic countries – and by far – are China (+15.1%), South Korea (+10%) and, more original, Switzerland (+5.9%).
The United States and France also show positive momentum, with growth of 2.9% and 1.9% respectively.
On the other hand, Germany suffered a fairly severe fall (-4.7%) and Japan a slight decrease (-0.4%).
Huawei, number one
At the sectoral level, innovation is driven by digital communication, medical technologies and IT.
In terms of dynamism, the ranking changes since machines, appliances and electrical energy jumped by 18.2%, showing that the electricity sector is moving enormously, in particular to help get through the current crisis but also as a lever to decarbonize the economy. 'economy.
More traditionally, digital communication (+11.2%) and biotechnology (+11%) also posted strong growth.
In terms of filing companies, the number one remains the Chinese Huawei, with 4,505 patent filings.
The Koreans LG (2nd, gain of three places) and Samsung (4th, two places lost) remain well placed.
The best performance of the year is to be put to the credit of the American Qualcomm, which gains seven places and settles on the third step of the podium.
The first European is the Swedish Ericsson (5th), followed by the German Siemens (6th).
Valeo, despite its first place in France, only ranks 31st.
Safran is 33rd.
The CEA, 37th.
