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United States Maintains Strong Position in Global Patent Filings Under the PCT in 2024
By Ferraiuoli LLC
In 2024, the United States reaffirmed its status as a global innovation leader through robust participation in the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) system. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), U.S.-based applicants filed 54,087 international patent applications under the PCT, ranking second globally behind China, which submitted 70,160 filings. This activity contributed to the total of 273,900 PCT filings worldwide, marking a modest 0.5% increase from the previous year.
Alongside China and Japan, the United States was one of the three countries with the highest number of applicants represented in WIPO’s top 100 filing entities. U.S. organizations accounted for 19 of the top 100 filers, compared to 35 from Japan and 21 from China.
In the corporate sector, Qualcomm stood out as the leading U.S. applicant, securing third place globally with 3,848 published PCT applications, following Huawei Technologies of China (6,600) and Samsung Electronics of South Korea (4,640). Notably, U.S. tech giants Apple and Google made significant strides, entering the top 20 global filers in 2024 with 441 and 335 additional applications respectively, reflecting their ongoing investments in R&D and intellectual property protection.
The U.S. also continued to dominate the academic and research sector. The University of California retained its position as the top educational institution filer, with 519 published PCT applications in 2024. The University of Texas System followed as the second-ranked academic applicant globally with 216 applications. These institutions were trailed by China's Tsinghua University (188), Zhejiang University (175), and Seoul National University in South Korea (170).
Ferraiuoli LLC
Ferraiuoli LLC (FLLC) was founded in 2003 by the late Blas Ferraiuoli-Martínez, Eugenio Torres-Oyola and María Marchand-Sánchez. This group was then joined in 2004 by Fernando J. Rovira-Rullán, thus forming the founding core of FLLC. FLLC has grown exponentially since its founding from a law firm with three attorneys and a support staff of three to its current size of 54 attorneys with a support staff of 38. Also, FLLC has grown from initially being known as an intellectual property and corporate law boutique law firm to a multiservice law firm that handles most matters relevant to a business while continuing to earn praise for its leading intellectual property and corporate practices.
FLLC has been ranked as a leading law firm in Puerto Rico by the professional publication Chambers Latin America in intellectual property, corporate, bankruptcy, labor & employment, real estate, and tax law. Moreover, 17 FLLC partners have been ranked as leaders in their field by the same publication. 4 FLLC partners are ranked as leaders in Intellectual Property, no other firm has more than 2. This recognition in such a short period of time is a tribute to FLLC’s business model.
FLLC prides itself in doing its work faster and more cost-efficiently yet with the same quality as that of its main competitors. The founding name partners are available at all times to attend to client matters. Their work ethic sets the tone for the rest of the firm. FLLC’s founders’ goal has been steady from the outset: become one of the premier multiservice law firms in Puerto Rico.