Thomson Reuters’ Intellectual Property & Science business released its 2012 State of Innovation report, analysing global patent activity in 2012. Innovation in medical-device technology continued to grow rapidly. Patent filings in this field increased by 15.7% compared with 2011, the largest increase among the technology fields covered.
Aerospace and household appliances recorded the second- and third-largest increases, at 12.9% and 12%, respectively. Computers and peripherals had the largest total filing volume for the fourth consecutive year from 2009 to 2012, with 232,549 filings in 2012.
Source: http://www.cnpat.com.cn/show/news/NewsInfo.aspx?Type=H&NewsId=4342