Good news for the Dutch economy. The number of European patent applications from Dutch companies rose last year for the first time since 2018. This is evident from figures from the European Patent Office (EPO) that were published on Tuesday.
The Dutch business community applied for patents on 6,581 inventions in 2021, more than 3 percent more than a year earlier. With 383 patent applications per million inhabitants, the Netherlands is in fourth place among the most innovative economies in the world, after Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark.
A patent (or patent) is a right established by law that allows you to prohibit others from using your invention. This can be about the smallest and most obscure things: an average smartphone contains an estimated 250,000 patented inventions.
Researcher Victor Veefkind of the EPO thinks the increase in the number of Dutch applications, which is higher than the European average, is ‘good news for the Netherlands’, he says over the phone. “The number of patents applied for says something about a country’s innovative strength. If there is a lot of innovation now, it will be an engine for the economy later on.”
The EPO also notes that last year China again applied for a record number of patents to protect Chinese inventions in the European Union, especially in the fields of computer technology and digital communications. This concerns, for example, inventions in the field of 5G or artificial intelligence. With 3,544 patents last year, the Chinese tech company Huawei was the company that applied for the most European patents.
“China focused on innovation and patents five to ten years ago,” says Veefkind. “They have moved from a counterfeit economy to an innovation economy over time. We are now seeing that reflected in the number of applications.”
Philips top applicant
Almost half of all Dutch patent applications come from companies in or around Eindhoven. The role of Philips is particularly striking in this regard; it is responsible for most Dutch applications. Lighting company Signify and tech companies ASML and NXP – all of which originated from Philips – are also in the top five. These companies make Noord-Brabant one of the five most innovative regions in Europe.
It is only known in a general sense what exactly a patent was applied for last year: patents are secret for the first eighteen months. Most Dutch patent applications took place in medical technology, in which top applicant Philips is traditionally strong.
Dutch companies also made a remarkable number of inventions in the field of basic chemicals, such as detergents and plastics. Also surprisingly popular last year: inventions in diet and light products. “Maybe that after a lot of sitting at home, companies have also started to pay more attention to the pounds,” says Veefkind.
The vast majority of Dutch patent applications come from large companies. For young, innovative technology companies, a patent is a major investment: holding a European patent for ten years costs 10,000 to 30,000 euros.
Nyske Blokhuis, patent attorney at the European patent office EP&C Patent Attorneys, notes that in recent years young technology companies have been less inclined to patent an idea. “Most of today’s young entrepreneurs are strongly ideologically driven and have a social mission,” says Blokhuis. “They believe that companies should share technology instead of fighting each other.”
According to Blokhuis, this attitude can lead to large companies taking off with the technology and ultimately making the most money with it. “By having a patent you retain control over your idea,” says Blokhuis. “And as an entrepreneur, you then decide for yourself who can use your invention.”
A version of this article also appeared in NRC on the morning of April 5, 2022