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 patents | 2013 to 2014 | 2014 to 2015 | 2015 to 2016 | 2016 to 2017 | 2017 to 2018 | 2018 to 2019 | 2019 to 2020 |
| Patent requests for examination | 28,497 | 28,776 | 28,596 | 28,199 | 28,046 | 30,163 | 28,209 |
Disposals
Figure 2: Patent disposals | 2013 to 2014 | 2014 to 2015 | 2015 to 2016 | 2016 to 2017 | 2017 to 2018 | 2018 to 2019 | 2019 to 2020 |
| Patent disposals | 38,533 | 36,370 | 32,422 | 32,635 | 31,629 | 29,757 | 27,046 |
Turnaround times
Figure 3: Average turnaround times for granting a patent | 2013 to 2014 | 2014 to 2015 | 2015 to 2016 | 2016 to 2017 | 2017 to 2018 | 2018 to 2019 | 2019 to 2020 |
| Patent turnaround time (in months) | 42.7 | 40.3 | 38.8 | 36.7 | 33.6 | 32.0 | 31.1 |
Applications by language
Patent applications filed by language | Language | 2013 to 2014 | 2014 to 2015 | 2015 to 2016 | 2016 to 2017 | 2017 to 2018 | 2018 to 2019 | 2019 to 2020 |
| English | 35,810 | 36,172 | 35,885 | 36,019 | 33,632 | 37,889 | 36,951 |
| French | 1,234 | 1,354 | 1,167 | 1,278 | 1,086 | 1,138 | 1,048 |
| Total | 37,044 | 37,526 | 37,052 | 36,019 | 34,718 | 39,027 | 37,999 |
Applications, requests for examination and patents granted by sector
Chemistry | Chemistry patent applications | 2017-2018 | 2018 to 2019 | 2019 to 2020 |
| Filed | 11,903 | 13,095 | 12,679 |
| Requests for examination | 9,263 | 10,014 | 9,153 |
| Granted | 7,160 | 7,219 | 6,552 |
Electrical engineering | Electrical engineering patent applications | 2017-2018 | 2018 to 2019 | 2019 to 2020 |
| Filed | 5,656 | 6,279 | 6,655 |
| Requests for examination | 4,798 | 5,005 | 5,293 |
| Granted | 4,483 | 3,994 | 3,523 |
Instruments | Instrument patent applications | 2017-2018 | 2018 to 2019 | 2019 to 2020 |
| Filed | 5,713 | 6,504 | 6,319 |
| Requests for examination | 4,769 | 5,430 | 4,737 |
| Granted | 4,341 | 4,076 | 3,479 |
Mechanical engineering | Mechanical engineering patent applications | 2017-2018 | 2018 to 2019 | 2019 to 2020 |
| Filed | 7,198 | 8,278 | 8,040 |
| Requests for examination | 5,900 | 6,434 | 5,856 |
| Granted | 5,264 | 5,023 | 4,815 |
Other fields | Patent applications from other fields | 2017-2018 | 2018 to 2019 | 2019 to 2020 |
| Filed | 4,248 | 4,871 | 4,306 |
| Requests for examination | 3,316 | 3,280 | 3,170 |
| Granted | 2,956 | 2,781 | 2,636 |
All disciplines | Patent applications from all disciplines | 2017-2018 | 2018 to 2019 | 2019 to 2020 |
| Filed | 34,718 | 39,027 | 37,999 |
| Request for examination | 28,046 | 30,163 | 28,209 |
| Granted | 24,204 | 23,093 | 21,005 |
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 2019 to 2020) | Province, territory or country | Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications filed | Non-PCT applications filed | Total applications filed | Total patents granted |
| Alberta | 216 | 592 | 808 | 369 |
| British Columbia | 254 | 411 | 665 | 210 |
| Manitoba | 30 | 85 | 115 | 48 |
| New Brunswick | 10 | 32 | 42 | 16 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 4 | 10 | 14 | 2 |
| Northwest Territories | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nova Scotia | 22 | 42 | 64 | 25 |
| Nunavut | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ontario | 643 | 1,301 | 1,944 | 771 |
| Prince Edward Island | 4 | 4 | 8 | 6 |
| Quebec | 362 | 850 | 1,212 | 463 |
| Saskatchewan | 19 | 153 | 172 | 74 |
| Yukon | 1 | 6 | 7 | 0 |
| Residents of Canada (total) | 1,565 | 3,486 | 5,051 | 1,985 |
| Foreign countries | 26,564 | 6,384 | 32,948 | 19,020 |
| Total | 28,129 | 9,870 | 37,999 | 21,005 |
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 2019 to 2020) | Origin | Filed | Granted |
| Algeria | 3 | 0 |
| Andorra | 2 | 0 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 2 | 0 |
| Argentina | 6 | 7 |
| Aruba | 1 | 0 |
| Australia | 555 | 231 |
| Austria | 271 | 166 |
| Azerbaijan | 0 | 1 |
| Bahamas | 0 | 2 |
| Bahrain | 1 | 0 |
| Barbados | 28 | 27 |
| Belarus | 1 | 1 |
| Belgium | 323 | 153 |
| Belize | 1 | 0 |
| Bermuda | 10 | 11 |
| Brazil | 72 | 22 |
| British Virgin Islands | 12 | 17 |
| Bulgaria | 1 | 3 |
| Canada | 5,051 | 1,995 |
| Cayman Islands | 182 | 21 |
| Chile | 20 | 13 |
| China | 1,494 | 549 |
| Colombia | 2 | 2 |
| Costa Rica | 4 | 3 |
| Croatia | 3 | 2 |
| Cuba | 3 | 10 |
| Cyprus | 14 | 6 |
| Czech Republic | 28 | 9 |
| Denmark | 292 | 185 |
| Dominican Republic | 1 | 0 |
| Ecuador | 0 | 2 |
| Egypt | 1 | 0 |
| El Salvador | 0 | 0 |
| Estonia | 3 | 2 |
| Faroe Islands | 1 | 1 |
| Finland | 301 | 186 |
| France | 1,589 | 1,061 |
| Germany | 2,086 | 1,370 |
| Gibraltar | 1 | 0 |
| Greece | 19 | 15 |
| Guinea | 1 | 0 |
| Hungary | 25 | 9 |
| Iceland | 9 | 9 |
| India | 194 | 67 |
| Indonesia | 1 | 0 |
| Iran | 6 | 1 |
| Ireland | 185 | 108 |
| Isle of Man | 9 | 0 |
| Israel | 418 | 172 |
| Italy | 604 | 311 |
| Jamaica | 0 | 2 |
| Japan | 1,610 | 1,346 |
| Jersey | 1 | 1 |
| Jordan | 0 | 1 |
| Kazakhstan | 1 | 0 |
| Kuwait | 0 | 1 |
| Latvia | 4 | 2 |
| Liechtenstein | 59 | 19 |
| Lithuania | 4 | 0 |
| Luxembourg | 123 | 57 |
| Malaysia | 19 | 6 |
| Malta | 8 | 2 |
| Mauritius | 3 | 0 |
| Mexico | 40 | 26 |
| Monaco | 2 | 1 |
| Morocco | 1 | 0 |
| Nepal | 1 | 0 |
| Netherlands | 527 | 326 |
| Netherlands Antilles | 0 | 1 |
| New Zealand | 80 | 52 |
| Niger | 0 | 1 |
| Norway | 250 | 130 |
| Pakistan | 4 | 0 |
| Panama | 1 | 0 |
| Philippines | 0 | 1 |
| Poland | 42 | 0 |
| Portugal | 39 | 11 |
| Qatar | 0 | 7 |
| Republic of Korea | 396 | 284 |
| Romania | 4 | 0 |
| Russia | 76 | 43 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 3 | 0 |
| Saint Vincent and The Grenadines | 0 | 3 |
| Samoa | 1 | 0 |
| San Marino | 1 | 1 |
| Saudi Arabia | 181 | 38 |
| Senegal | 0 | 1 |
| Serbia | 1 | 0 |
| Seychelles | 0 | 1 |
| Singapore | 72 | 42 |
| Slovakia | 9 | 4 |
| Slovenia | 9 | 6 |
| South Africa | 41 | 31 |
| Spain | 204 | 109 |
| Sweden | 505 | 300 |
| Switzerland | 1,056 | 732 |
| Taiwan | 49 | 73 |
| Thailand | 10 | 1 |
| Hong Kong | 5 | 9 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 1 | 0 |
| Tunisia | 0 | 2 |
| Turkey | 17 | 13 |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | 2 | 0 |
| Ukraine | 2 | 1 |
| United Arab Emirates | 7 | 1 |
| United Kingdom | 1,274 | 648 |
| United States of America | 17,410 | 9,919 |
| Uruguay | 8 | 0 |
| Totals | 37,999 | 21,005 |
Top 10 applicants
Top 10 patent applicants (fiscal year 2019 to 2020) | Applicant | Number of applications filed |
| GUANGDONG OPPO MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP., LTD. | 281 |
| QUALCOMM INCORPORATED | 232 |
| PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP. | 195 |
| THE BOEING COMPANY | 191 |
| HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC. | 181 |
| HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD. | 179 |
| SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY | 176 |
| CAPITAL ONE SERVICES, LLC | 169 |
| THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY | 147 |
| ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LIMITED | 142 |
Top 10 patentees
Top 10 patentees (fiscal year 2019 to 2020) | Patentee | Number of patents granted |
| HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC. | 448 |
| GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY | 183 |
| THE BOEING COMPANY | 129 |
| SNECMA | 111 |
| NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD. | 101 |
| HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD. | 94 |
| THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY | 93 |
| QUALCOMM INCORPORATED | 91 |
| SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. | 85 |
| BLACKBERRY LIMITED | 70 |
Patent Appeal Board operational statistics
Final actions | Operational statistics | 2013 to 2014 | 2014 to 2015 | 2015 to 2016 | 2016 to 2017 | 2017 to 2018 | 2018 to 2019 | 2019 to 2020 |
| Referrals | 34 | 28 | 65 | 91 | 75 | 101 | 71 |
| Disposals | 40 | 24 | 19 | 33 | 41 | 46 | 56 |
Industrial designs | Operational statistics | 2013 to 2014 | 2014 to 2015 | 2015 to 2016 | 2016 to 2017 | 2017 to 2018 | 2018 to 2019 | 2019 to 2020 |
| Referrals | 2 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Disposals | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Re-examination: section 48.1 | Operational statistics | 2013 to 2014 | 2014 to 2015 | 2015 to 2016 | 2016 to 2017 | 2017 to 2018 | 2018 to 2019 | 2019 to 2020 |
| Filings | 6 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 15 | 11 | 11 |
| Disposals | 7 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 11 |
Candidates for agent examinations | Operational statistics | 2013 to 2014 | 2014 to 2015 | 2015 to 2016 | 2016 to 2017 | 2017 to 2018 | 2018 to 2019 | 2019 to 2020 |
| Patents | 218 | 439 | 471 | 433 | 440 | 406 | 408 |
| Trademarks | 69 | 71 | 89 | 111 | 142 | 120 | 110 |
