These tables provide an overview of patent activity, based on the latest available statistics.
On this page
Requests for examination
Figure 1: Requests for examination of patent applications
| |
2015 to 2016 |
2016 to 2017 |
2017 to 2018 |
2018 to 2019 |
2019 to 2020 |
2020 to 2021 |
2021 to 2022 |
| Patent requests for examination |
28,596 |
28,199 |
28,046 |
30,163 |
28,209 |
28,193 |
29,737 |
Disposals
Figure 2: Patent application disposalsFootnote *
| |
2015 to 2016 |
2016 to 2017 |
2017 to 2018 |
2018 to 2019 |
2019 to 2020 |
2020 to 2021 |
2021 to 2022 |
| Patent disposals |
32,422 |
32,635 |
31,629 |
29,757 |
27,046 |
28,585 |
28,079 |
Turnaround times
Figure 3: Average turnaround times for granting a patent after a request for examination
| |
2015 to 2016 |
2016 to 2017 |
2017 to 2018 |
2018 to 2019 |
2019 to 2020 |
2020 to 2021 |
2021 to 2022 |
| Patent turnaround time (in months) |
38.8 |
36.7 |
33.6 |
32.0 |
31.1 |
31.1 |
30.8 |
Applications by language
Patent applications filed by language
| Language |
2015 to 2016 |
2016 to 2017 |
2017 to 2018 |
2018 to 2019 |
2019 to 2020 |
2020 to 2021 |
2021 to 2022 |
| English |
35,885 |
36,019 |
33,632 |
37,889 |
36,951 |
36,216 |
38,656 |
| French |
1,167 |
1,278 |
1,086 |
1,138 |
1,048 |
948 |
1,053 |
| Total |
37,052 |
36,019 |
34,718 |
39,027 |
37,999 |
37,164 |
39,709 |
Applications, requests for examination and patents granted by sector
Chemistry
| Chemistry patent applications |
2018 to 2019 |
2019 to 2020 |
2020 to 2021 |
2021 to 2022 |
| Filed |
13,095 |
12,679 |
13,433 |
13,329 |
| Requests for examination |
10,014 |
9,153 |
9,840 |
10,650 |
| Granted |
7,219 |
6,552 |
7,224 |
6,740 |
Electrical engineering
| Electrical engineering patent applications |
2018 to 2019 |
2019 to 2020 |
2020 to 2021 |
2021 to 2022 |
| Filed |
6,279 |
6,655 |
5,912 |
6,428 |
| Requests for examination |
5,005 |
5,293 |
4,884 |
4,913 |
| Granted |
3,994 |
3,523 |
3,791 |
3,329 |
Instruments
| Instrument patent applications |
2018 to 2019 |
2019 to 2020 |
2020 to 2021 |
2021 to 2022 |
| Filed |
6,504 |
6,319 |
6,078 |
6,757 |
| Requests for examination |
5,430 |
4,737 |
4,856 |
5,134 |
| Granted |
4,076 |
3,479 |
3,812 |
3,319 |
Mechanical engineering
| Mechanical engineering patent applications |
2018 to 2019 |
2019 to 2020 |
2020 to 2021 |
2021 to 2022 |
| Filed |
8,278 |
8,040 |
7,245 |
8,356 |
| Requests for examination |
6,434 |
5,856 |
5,449 |
5,749 |
| Granted |
5,023 |
4,815 |
4,976 |
4,046 |
Other fields
| Patent applications from other fields |
2018 to 2019 |
2019 to 2020 |
2020 to 2021 |
2021 to 2022 |
| Filed |
4,871 |
4,306 |
4,496 |
4,839 |
| Requests for examination |
3,280 |
3,170 |
3,164 |
3,291 |
| Granted |
2,781 |
2,636 |
2,648 |
2,091 |
All disciplines
| Patent applications from all disciplines |
2018 to 2019 |
2019 to 2020 |
2020 to 2021 |
2021 to 2022 |
| Filed |
39,027 |
37,999 |
37,164 |
39,709 |
| Request for examination |
30,163 |
28,209 |
28,193 |
29,737 |
| Granted |
23,093 |
21,005 |
22,451 |
19,525 |
Applications and patents granted to residents of Canada and foreign countries
Applications filed and patents granted to residents of Canada and foreign countries (fiscal year 2021 to 2022)
| Province, territory or country |
Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications filed |
Non-PCT applications filed |
Total applications filed |
Total patents granted |
| Alberta |
360 |
643 |
1,003 |
356 |
| British Columbia |
239 |
291 |
530 |
219 |
| Manitoba |
21 |
79 |
100 |
58 |
| New Brunswick |
14 |
40 |
54 |
23 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador |
6 |
14 |
20 |
6 |
| Northwest Territories |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| Nova Scotia |
16 |
45 |
61 |
22 |
| Nunavut |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Ontario |
747 |
1,056 |
1,803 |
814 |
| Prince Edward Island |
6 |
6 |
12 |
6 |
| Quebec |
361 |
642 |
1,003 |
445 |
| Saskatchewan |
29 |
139 |
168 |
75 |
| Yukon |
0 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
| Residents of Canada (total) |
1,799 |
2,958 |
4,757 |
2,027 |
| Foreign countries |
28,982 |
5,970 |
34,952 |
17,498 |
| Total |
30,781 |
8,928 |
39,709 |
19,525 |
Applications and patents granted by origin as stated by the applicant
Patent applications filed and patents granted by origin as stated by the applicant (fiscal year 2021 to 2022)
| Origin |
Filed |
Granted |
| Anguilla |
4 |
0 |
| Argentina |
10 |
7 |
| Australia |
573 |
208 |
| Austria |
277 |
157 |
| Bahamas |
1 |
1 |
| Bangladesh |
1 |
0 |
| Barbados |
12 |
26 |
| Belarus |
1 |
0 |
| Belgium |
394 |
188 |
| Belize |
2 |
1 |
| Bermuda |
19 |
10 |
| Brazil |
74 |
26 |
| Bulgaria |
3 |
3 |
| Canada |
4757 |
2027 |
| Cayman Islands |
41 |
56 |
| Chile |
32 |
14 |
| China |
1962 |
724 |
| Colombia |
3 |
5 |
| Costa Rica |
1 |
0 |
| Croatia |
4 |
0 |
| Cuba |
3 |
4 |
| Curacao |
1 |
0 |
| Cyprus |
19 |
18 |
| Czech Republic |
40 |
4 |
| Denmark |
354 |
148 |
| Dominica |
1 |
0 |
| Dominican Republic |
2 |
0 |
| Ecuador |
0 |
1 |
| Estonia |
9 |
4 |
| Finland |
333 |
168 |
| France |
1652 |
819 |
| Gabon |
1 |
0 |
| Georgia |
0 |
1 |
| Germany |
2011 |
1036 |
| Gibraltar |
0 |
1 |
| Greece |
17 |
15 |
| Guernsey |
1 |
0 |
| Honduras |
1 |
0 |
| Hungary |
25 |
11 |
| Iceland |
14 |
0 |
| India |
189 |
83 |
| Indonesia |
2 |
0 |
| Iran |
18 |
1 |
| Ireland |
260 |
109 |
| Isle of Man |
3 |
2 |
| Israel |
437 |
154 |
| Italy |
642 |
301 |
| Jamaica |
0 |
1 |
| Japan |
1438 |
1031 |
| Jersey |
1 |
0 |
| Jordan |
1 |
0 |
| Kenya |
1 |
0 |
| Kyrgyzstan |
0 |
1 |
| Kuwait |
1 |
0 |
| Latvia |
6 |
2 |
| Liechtenstein |
37 |
21 |
| Lithuania |
2 |
1 |
| Luxembourg |
133 |
87 |
| Malaysia |
15 |
6 |
| Malta |
16 |
10 |
| Mauritius |
4 |
1 |
| Mexico |
36 |
35 |
| Monaco |
2 |
2 |
| Morocco |
6 |
0 |
| Nepal |
0 |
1 |
| Netherlands |
570 |
346 |
| New Caledonia |
1 |
0 |
| New Zealand |
107 |
50 |
| Nigeria |
0 |
1 |
| Norway |
276 |
123 |
| Oman |
1 |
0 |
| Panama |
1 |
2 |
| Peru |
6 |
0 |
| Philippines |
0 |
2 |
| Poland |
63 |
13 |
| Portugal |
45 |
17 |
| Republic of Korea |
454 |
289 |
| Romania |
8 |
1 |
| Russian Federation |
78 |
51 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis |
1 |
1 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
0 |
1 |
| Samoa |
1 |
0 |
| Saudi Arabia |
121 |
54 |
| Senegal |
1 |
0 |
| Serbia |
3 |
0 |
| Seychelles |
4 |
2 |
| Singapore |
99 |
32 |
| Slovakia |
5 |
0 |
| Slovenia |
8 |
5 |
| South Africa |
54 |
22 |
| Spain |
251 |
97 |
| Sri Lanka |
1 |
1 |
| Sweden |
537 |
271 |
| Switzerland |
1349 |
553 |
| Taiwan |
67 |
33 |
| Thailand |
6 |
2 |
| The Hong Kong Special Admin. |
10 |
1 |
| Turkey |
24 |
6 |
| Ukraine |
3 |
1 |
| United Arab Emirates |
6 |
4 |
| United Kingdom |
1475 |
611 |
| United States of America |
18153 |
9381 |
| Uruguay |
4 |
2 |
| Viet Nam |
2 |
3 |
| Virgin Islands (British) |
8 |
15 |
| Unknown Country |
1 |
0 |
| Total |
39,709 |
19,525 |
Top 10 applicants
Top 10 patent applicants (fiscal year 2021 to 2022)
| Applicant |
Number of applications filed |
| 10353744 CANADA LTD. |
220 |
| HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD. |
196 |
| PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP. |
169 |
| HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC. |
142 |
| NICOVENTURES TRADING LIMITED |
124 |
| BASF SE |
122 |
| THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA |
119 |
| CITRIX SYSTEMS, INC. |
117 |
| REGENERON PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. |
108 |
| DOW GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES LLC |
108 |
Top 10 Canadian applicants
Top 10 Canadian patent applicants (fiscal year 2021 to 2022)
| Applicant |
Number of applications filed |
| 10353744 CANADA LTD. |
220 |
| PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP. |
169 |
| THE TORONTO-DOMINION BANK |
97 |
| SHOPIFY INC. |
49 |
| SCHLUMBERGER CANADA LIMITED |
44 |
| NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF CANADA |
37 |
| SUNCOR ENERGY INC. |
35 |
| UNIVERSITY HEALTH NETWORK |
34 |
| CANOPY GROWTH CORPORATION |
30 |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA |
29 |
Top 10 patentees
Top 10 patentees (fiscal year 2021 to 2022)
| Patentee |
Number of patents granted |
| THE BOEING COMPANY |
180 |
| HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC. |
133 |
| GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY |
101 |
| PIONEER HI-BRED INTERNATIONAL, INC. |
96 |
| QUALCOMM INCORPORATED |
96 |
| THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY |
86 |
| SNECMA |
79 |
| SONY CORPORATION |
68 |
| F. HOFFMANN-LA ROCHE AG |
66 |
| HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD. |
64 |
Top 10 Canadian patentees
Top 10 Canadian patentees (fiscal year 2021 to 2022)
| Patentee |
Number of patents granted |
| BLACKBERRY LIMITED |
63 |
| 10353744 CANADA LTD. |
58 |
| SCHLUMBERGER CANADA LIMITED |
49 |
| PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP. |
39 |
| CNH INDUSTRIAL CANADA, LTD. |
30 |
| SUNCOR ENERGY INC. |
21 |
| SYNAPTIVE MEDICAL INC. |
17 |
| THE GOVERNING COUNCIL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO |
16 |
| THE TORONTO-DOMINION BANK |
16 |
| NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF CANADA |
15 |
Patent Appeal Board operational statistics
Final actions
| Operational statistics |
2015 to 2016 |
2016 to 2017 |
2017 to 2018 |
2018 to 2019 |
2019 to 2020 |
2020 to 2021 |
2021 to 2022 |
| Referrals |
65 |
91 |
75 |
101 |
71 |
52 |
36 |
| Disposals |
19 |
33 |
41 |
46 |
56 |
63 |
78 |
Industrial designs
| Operational statistics |
2015 to 2016 |
2016 to 2017 |
2017 to 2018 |
2018 to 2019 |
2019 to 2020 |
2020 to 2021 |
2021 to 2022 |
| Referrals |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
2 |
0 |
| Disposals |
6 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
Re-examination: section 48.1
| Operational statistics |
2015 to 2016 |
2016 to 2017 |
2017 to 2018 |
2018 to 2019 |
2019 to 2020 |
2020 to 2021 |
2021 to 2022 |
| Filings |
12 |
2 |
15 |
11 |
11 |
8 |
6 |
| Disposals |
3 |
9 |
7 |
4 |
11 |
13 |
11 |
