Germany Lags Behind Asia in Battery Patent Race
The annual report from the German Patent and Trade Mark Office shows that South Korea, China, and Japan are significantly ahead of Germany in key battery technology patent applications.
In the core area of electric vehicle technology - battery technology - Asian companies are rapidly widening the gap with Germany. According to the latest annual report from the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA), the number of patent applications in this field by South Korea, China, and Japan increased dramatically in 2024, while Germany's growth was relatively weak.
The report points out that the total number of battery-related patent applications published jointly by the German Patent Office and the European Patent Office in 2024 was 7242, an increase of 16.6% compared to 2023. The main growth came from Asian companies: South Korea led with 1,817 patent applications, up 10.3% year-on-year; China ranked second with 1,591 applications, up 22.6%; Japan jumped to third place with 1,136 applications, up 7.8%, surpassing Germany.
By contrast, the number of patent applications submitted by German companies, research institutions, and individual inventors increased by only 1.9%, totaling 1,112. The report also noted that the top three patent applicants for battery technology globally were South Korean LG, Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. (CATL), and South Korean Samsung.
Germany Stands Out in Solar Technology
Despite lagging behind in battery technology, Germany has made positive progress in solar technology. The German Patent and Trade Mark Office pointed out that the total number of patent applications for photovoltaics and solar thermal technology in 2024 increased by 15.1% year-on-year, with particularly significant growth in domestic applications in Germany, reaching a rate of 57.3%, totaling 184, ranking first globally, surpassing China.
Notably, nearly 30% of Germany's solar patents came from private inventors, which is rare in other technological fields. The content of the patents not only involves core solar technologies but also includes auxiliary innovations such as the installation structure of solar panels.
DPMA also reminded that due to the fact that patents are usually disclosed 18 months after submission, the technical trends reflected in the report have a certain time lag.
Source: DW
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