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U.S.-based applicants led Madrid System
By Ferraiuoli LLC
International patent applications filed via WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), a widely used metric for measuring innovative activity, grew by 0.9% in 2021 to reach 277,500 applications – the highest-ever level. WIPO's global trademark (Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks) and design (Hague System for the International Registration of Industrial Designs) filing systems, used to protect and promote brands and the look and feel of products like mobile phones, each notched double-digit growth to mark new records as did WIPO's anti-cybersquatting and arbitration and mediation activities.China (69,540 applications, +0.9% year-on-year growth) remained the largest user of the PCT in 2021, followed by the U.S. (59,570 applications, +1.9%).
China-based telecoms giant Huawei Technologies, with 6,952 published PCT applications, was the top filer in 2021. It was followed by Qualcomm Inc. of the U.S. (3,931). Among the top 10 filers, Qualcomm Inc. reported the fastest growth (+80.9%) in the number of published applications in 2021 and as a result it moved up from fifth position in 2020 to second spot in 2021. Filings related to digital communication by Qualcomm almost doubled – from 1,486 in 2020 to 2,951 in 2021 – helping drive the strong overall growth.
The University of California with 551 published applications continues to head the list of top applicants among educational institutions in 2021.
U.S.-based applicants (13,276) filed the largest number of international trademark applications using WIPO’s Madrid System in 2021. Germany remained the largest user of the International Design System, with 4,469 designs in 2021, followed by the U.S. (2,610 designs).
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.
