Publication of the report "The SPTO in figures 2021"

The Spanish Patent and Trademark Office, O.A. (SPTO) has made public the data and figures of patents, utility models, trademarks, trade names, designs and Patent Technological Reports (ITP), relating to the year 2021, in its annual report called "The SPTO in figures".

The objective of this annual publication is to show a general overview of the activities related to the different types of protection in matters of Industrial Property based on the statistics obtained during the year 2021.

The sources used to prepare the brochure correspond to the SPTO Databases, as well as those of the European Patent Office (EPO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office. (EUIPO).

Patents

The number of national patent applications in 2021 was 1,361 compared to 1,483 filed in 2020, which shows a decrease of 8.2%.

Madrid was the Autonomous Community with the highest activity in patent applications (20.9% of all residents), followed by the Valencian Community (18.5%), Catalonia (13.3%) and Andalusia (11.7%).

If we look at national patent applicants, the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) concentrates the largest number of national patent applications filed in Spain in 2021 (57 applications). The Cecotec Research and Development company ranks second, followed by the Polytechnic University of Madrid.

Regarding the technological sectors, the Medical Technology subsector surpasses that of Transport, positioning itself in the first place in 2021 with an increase of 24.1% compared to 2020. The Transport subsector moves to second place with a decrease of patent applications of 7.5% in relation to the previous year. The third most requested subsector corresponds to Other special machinery, which has increased by 12.3%.

Utility models

In 2021, 3,059 utility models were requested at the SPTO, which shows a decrease of 10.5% with respect to the requests presented in 2020. Despite this decrease, it is noted that the figure obtained is the second highest in the last 19 years.

Catalonia is the Autonomous Community with the greatest activity in submitting applications for utility models (16% of all residents), followed by the Valencian Community (15.5%), the Community of Madrid (14.6%) and Castilla León ( 14.4%) which account for 60.5% of all the applications submitted.

In 2021, the three technical subsectors that encompass the highest concentration of published national utility models correspond to Furniture and Games, Other consumer products and Medical technology.

If the year 2021 is compared with 2020, the Furniture and Games subsector has gone from second place to first in the list of technological sectors, and Medical technology has suffered a drop of 12.1%.

Patent Technological Reports

In 2021, 400 requests for Patent Technological Reports (ITP) were requested at the SPTO, the third highest figure in the last 12 years, with an increase of 13% compared to 2020.

Trademarks

During 2021, 51,585 trademarks were requested (filed by residents in Spain and non-residents) at the SPTO, increasing the figures by 0.9% compared to the previous year.

The Autonomous Communities that showed the greatest activity in trademark applications were Madrid (23.6% of the total number of residents), Catalonia (17.1%), Andalusia (14.7%) and the Valencian Community (11%).

Regarding the companies that requested a greater number of trademarks, the company Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española S.A stands out, with 93 trademarks requested, which occupies the first position, followed by Laboratorios Cinfa, with 35 trademark applications. The third place in the ranking this year is shared by two companies: Delso Fertilizadores Family S.L. and Coilap Holding S.P.A with 33 applications each.

If the year 2021 is compared to 2020, according to the Nice Classification, there is a greater increase in the classes corresponding to Construction, Repair and Installation Services (18.2%) and Restoration and Accommodation Services (15. 1%), and a decrease of 6.1% in Scientific Apparatus and Instruments.

Tradenames

In 2021, 13,076 national trade names were applied for at the SPTO (both by residents in Spain and by non-residents), which represents an increase of 6.6% compared to the previous year, achieving the highest number of applications for the last 35 years.

The Autonomous Communities that show the highest number of applications for trade names are Madrid (22.7% of the total number of residents), Andalusia (16.2%), Catalonia (15%) and the Valencian Community (10.6%).

The companies Varnishes and Paintings Andrés, S.L. and Lacoproducer, S.L. they are the ones that have filed the largest number of applications for national trade names (11 and 9 applications, respectively).

Regarding the Nice classes, the Education, Sports and Culture and Advertising, and Commercial and Administrative Management classes stand out with 2,597 and 2,343 applications, respectively. In addition, the greatest increase was observed in Catering, Lodging and Scientific, Technological and Computer Services, with a rise of 20.3% compared to the previous year.

Industrial designs

In 2021, 12,114 industrial designs were requested at the SPTO (both by residents in Spain and by non-residents), showing a decrease of 0.9% compared to 2020, which continues with the drop seen in the two years previous.

Industrial design applications corresponding to the Autonomous Communities show their greatest number in Catalonia (20.7% of the total number of residents), the Valencian Community (20.4%), Madrid (17.2%) and Andalusia (10.5%). ), including these Communities, cover 68.8% of all the applications submitted.

For the fifth consecutive year, Desigual S.L.U. with 988 Designs (24 files) it occupies the first position of applicants for national industrial designs in 2021. It is followed by Boblan Diseño, S.L and MTNG Europe Experience, SLU. With 732 and 703 designs requested respectively.

On the other hand, the three classes with the greatest increase correspond to Containers and packaging for Storage and Transport (86.6%) and Clothing and Haberdashery (76.8%). For its part, the greatest decrease occurred in the Graphic Symbols and Logos, Decoration Motifs, Ornamentation and Adornment Objects classes, with falls of 26.9% and 26.7%, respectively, in relation to 2020.

International and regional applications of Spanish origin

The data of international applications of Spanish origin filed through the PCT system, the Madrid system (international trademark), the Hague system (international design) and regional applications of Spanish origin: European Patent, European Union Trademark and Design Community have shown increases, as can be seen in the following table.

More information

The SPTO in figures 2021