The number of patent applications in the world rose from around 800,000 in the early 1980s to 1.8m in 2009, according to the World Intellectual Property Report 2011, newly published by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). Companies have become more eager to create and exploit intellectual property: WIPO notes that spending on research and development has risen even faster than patent applications. Most of the growth in applications has come from second and subsequent filings, reflecting a growing demand for protection in more than one country. “Strategic” patenting—for example, to build portfolios of patents for use in licensing negotiations—has also been on the rise.
source:The Economist