IP Australia has officially released the 14th edition of the Australian Intellectual Property Report (hereinafter referred to as the Report). This report outlines core statistical dynamics within the intellectual property domain and analyzes the intrinsic links between innovation, industrial collaboration, and the commercialization of achievements.

The Report compiles and interprets the latest statistical data on various types of intellectual property administered by the agency, aiming to enhance intellectual property rights awareness across society and, from a local Australian perspective, illustrate how intellectual property empowers social productivity enhancement and economic growth.

This article provides the core highlights of this report and an interpretation of industry trends.

Overall Australian Intellectual Property Statistics

In 2025, trademark filings in Australia increased by 13.3% year-on-year, and design filings increased by 7.1% year-on-year; standard patent applications and plant breeder's rights applications both declined, with decreases of 0.5% and 6.4% respectively. Notably, the annual filing volumes for trademarks and designs in Australia both hit historic highs in 2025.

The Report compilation team pointed out that the current global economy is in a phase of structural transformation, and the international system that has dominated the global innovation, trade, and investment landscapes over the past 30 years is recalibrating. Strategic competition, cutting-edge technological iterations, and national trade policies are reshaping global economic operational models. International economic and trade cooperation continues to occur, but the forms of cooperation are increasingly shifting toward targeted synergy and trusted partnership models.

The Report explicitly indicates that intellectual property has now become core economic infrastructure, providing solid support for business operations, social productivity development, and Australia's deep participation in global market competition.

Patents

Standard Patents

In 2025, IP Australia received 30,348 standard patent applications, a slight decrease of 0.5% compared to 2024. This figure continues the gradual downward trend from the historic peak in 2021.

Data shows that entry into the national phase via the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) remains the primary application route. In 2025, PCT national phase applications totaled 20,248, while direct filings for standard patent applications reached 10,100.

In 2025, patent applications from non-resident applicants in Australia decreased by 1.3% year-on-year, but their share of filings still exceeded 90% of Australia's total patent applications; the share of Australian resident applicants rose to 9.3%, hitting the highest proportion since 2021.

Distribution of Countries (Regions) of Origin for Applications

Among foreign patent applications, the United States ranked first, accounting for 40.8%; others in sequence were China (9.7%), Japan (5.3%), the United Kingdom (4.3%), and Germany (4.2%).

It is worth noting that China's standard patent application volume in Australia has maintained a growth trend for consecutive years, with a year-on-year increase of 13.4% in 2025; during the same period, US patent application volume in Australia decreased by 5.0% year-on-year.

Provisional Patent Applications

Following a decade-long continuous decline, provisional patent applications in Australia rebounded significantly in 2025, experiencing a rapid year-on-year growth of 58.1%, with annual applications reaching 6,867, the highest value since 2008; however, this figure still represents a decline of over 6% compared to the application volume in 2005.

The report mentions that in 2025, provisional patent applications filed by individual applicants accounted for nearly half of the total, a substantial increase from the proportion of approximately one-third in 2024. Small and medium-sized enterprises and individual applicants are utilizing artificial intelligence tools to reduce initial patent drafting and searching costs.

Two categories of applicant proportions witnessed significant leaps:

First-time patent applicants: refers to entities that have never submitted a patent application before, whose proportion soared from 42% during the 2021 to 2024 period to 63% in 2025;

Self-represented entities: refers to entities that handle the application process independently without appointing a patent attorney, whose proportion steadily rose from 19% during the 2021 to 2024 period to 27%, and further climbed to 52% in 2025.

The Report predicts that the widespread application of automated tools and artificial intelligence-assisted tools will bring multiple challenges to the global patent examination system, including a surge in the number of speculative patent applications, intensified pressure on examination resources, questionable quality of disclosed patent information, and disputes over the determination of inventorship.

Distribution of Technical Fields

In 2025, the top five popular technical fields for standard patent applications in Australia were, in sequence: pharmaceuticals (accounting for 12.2%), medical technology (10.9%), biotechnology (10.1%), fine organic chemistry (5.2%), and civil engineering (5.1%). The proportion of health-related technology patent applications remained high, highlighting that Australia has become one of the preferred destinations globally for innovation, R&D, and market implementation in the high-value healthcare sector.

Leading Domestic and Foreign Applying Entities

The top five foreign standard patent applicants were: LG Electronics (196 cases), Huawei Technologies (159 cases), Caterpillar (157 cases), Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (134 cases), and Nestle (129 cases);

The top five local Australian standard patent applicants were: Aristocrat Technologies Australia (123 cases), Idy (43 cases), Sense 2 (41 cases), Thanh Tri Lam (40 cases), and Yaohui Liang (34 cases).

Overseas Patent Layout

In 2024, overseas patent applications by local Australian applicants decreased by 6.6% year-on-year, with a total of 8,659 applications submitted throughout the year. The preferred destination for the overseas patent layout of Australian enterprises was the United States (38.3%), and other popular layout regions in sequence were the European Patent Office (11.4%), China (8.5%), Japan (6.3%), and New Zealand (5.6%).

Patents Empowering the Enhancement of Enterprise Benefits

Survey data from the Report shows that after enterprises obtain their first patent grant, their overall revenue is on average 43% higher than that of non-patented enterprises in the same industry; patent grants can drive an average increase of 14.6% in total factor productivity and an average increase of 3% in labor productivity for enterprises.

Trademarks

Trademark Applications and Registrations

In 2025, trademark applications in Australia reached 97,345, setting a new historic high and representing a substantial year-on-year growth of 13.3% compared to 2024.

The vast majority of applicants chose to submit trademark applications directly, while international trademark extension applications submitted through the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Madrid System accounted for less than 20%.

In 2025, trademark applications by local Australian applicants surged by 15.1% year-on-year, with local applications accounting for 57.4%, far exceeding foreign applicants; during the same period, the volume of approved trademark registrations in Australia increased by 5.4% year-on-year.

Distribution of Countries (Regions) of Origin for Applications

In 2025, trademark applications from foreign applicants accounted for only 42.6%, lower than the proportion of local applications. Among the foreign countries (regions) of origin for applications, China ranked first, accounting for 14.8%; followed by the United States (9.2%), the United Kingdom (2.5%), Germany (1.5%), and New Zealand (1.4%). Notably, China's trademark application volume in Australia increased by over 20% year-on-year in 2025.

Popular Classes of Applications under the Nice Agreement Concerning the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks (the Nice Classification)

In 2025, the top five popular Nice Classification classes for trademark applications in Australia were: advertising and sales (9.9%), scientific instruments and electrical equipment (9.7%), education and entertainment activities (7.5%), design and research services (7.3%), and clothing, footwear, and headwear (5.6%).

Main Domestic and Foreign Applying Entities

The top five foreign trademark applicants were: L’Oréal (122 cases), Bertbaby (84 cases), Weihua Trophy Import & Export (73 cases), Qudao Crossborder Ecommerce Weihai (69 cases), and Samsung Electronics (64 cases);

The top five local Australian trademark applicants were: Aristocrat Technologies Australia (71 cases), Pharmacor (63 cases), Ainsworth Game Technology (56 cases), Supreme Caravans (31 cases), and Mnb Variety Imports (30 cases).

Overseas Trademark Layout

In 2024, overseas trademark applications by local Australian applicants totaled 17,414, with the application scale remaining basically flat compared to 2023. The preferred destination for overseas trademark registration by Australian enterprises was the United States, accounting for 19.6%; the remaining popular layout regions in sequence were New Zealand (15.1%), the United Kingdom (9.4%), the European region (7.3%), and Canada (5.1%).

Trademarks Empowering the Enhancement of Enterprise Benefits

Surveys show that after enterprises complete their first trademark registration, their overall revenue is on average 78% higher than that of non-trademarked enterprises in the same industry; trademark registration can help enterprises increase total factor productivity by an average of 6% and labor productivity by an average of 16%.

Designs

Design Applications, Registrations, and Certifications

In 2025, design registrations in Australia reached 9,727, a year-on-year increase of 9.9%, hitting another historic high; 1,448 design certifications were completed throughout the year, a slight year-on-year decrease of 1.8%.

In 2025, design applications by local Australian applicants increased by 6.3% year-on-year, with the total volume of applications reaching 3,078, setting a historic high; however, local application volumes still accounted for less than one-third of Australia's total design application volume.

Distribution of Countries (Regions) of Origin for Applications

In 2025, the primary countries (regions) of origin for foreign design applications in Australia were: the United States (25.0%), China (16.7%), the United Kingdom (3.6%), and Switzerland (2.9%). Among them, design application volumes from the United States and Switzerland in Australia grew significantly, with year-on-year increases of 31.8% and 24.7% respectively.

Popular Classes under the Locarno Agreement Establishing an International Classification for Industrial Designs ("Locarno Classification")

In 2025, the top five popular Locarno Classification classes for design applications were: furniture (8.1%), articles of transport (7.4%), audiovisual, communication and data processing equipment (6.7%), household goods (6.7%), and hardware and hand tools (6.6%).

Main Domestic and Foreign Applying Entities

The top five foreign design applicants were: Intercontinental Great Brands (192 cases), Miss Amara Group (177 cases), Beijing Roborock Technology (172 cases), Yeti Coolers (119 cases), and Skechers USA (114 cases);

The top five local Australian design applicants were: Tatjana Petreska (88 cases), Zimmermann Wear (37 cases), Aristocrat Technologies Australia (30 cases), Fido Home (29 cases), and Voltex Electrical Accessories (24 cases).

Overseas Design Layout

In 2024, overseas design applications by local Australian applicants totaled 2,487. The preferred destination for the overseas layout of Australian design innovation entities was the United States, accounting for 26.2%; the remaining popular layout regions in sequence were New Zealand (14.5%), China (12.4%), the European region (10.1%), and the United Kingdom (9.2%).

Plant Breeder's Rights

Overview of Applications and Registrations

In 2025, a total of 264 plant breeder's rights applications were submitted in Australia, a decrease of 6.4% compared to 2024. Among them, the application volume from foreign applicants declined by 19.2% year-on-year, but the proportion of foreign applications still reached 56%, higher than local applications.

During the same period, the volume of approved plant breeder's rights registrations in Australia increased significantly by 36.3% year-on-year.

Distribution of Countries (Regions) of Origin for Applications

In 2025, the primary countries (regions) of origin for foreign plant breeder's rights applications were: the United States (17.8%), the Netherlands (7.1%), France (4.5%), New Zealand (3.7%), and the United Kingdom (3.7%).

Popular Categories of Applications

In 2025, the top five popular application categories for plant breeder's rights were: fruit crops (28.7%), ornamental plants (22.9%), non-cereal field crops (17.6%), cereal field crops (12.2%), and forage crops (6.8%).

Main Domestic and Foreign Applying Entities

The top five foreign plant breeder's rights applicants were: Rijk Zwaan (10 cases), Syngenta Crop Protection (9 cases), Aurora Cannabis Enterprises (7 cases), Agro Selections Fruits (5 cases), and Driscolls (5 cases);

The top five local Australian applicants were: Australian Grain Technologies (10 cases), Craig Robert Pressler (10 cases), Ozbreed Greenlife (9 cases), the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO, 7 cases), and Intergrain (7 cases).

Specialized Research Projects

In addition to statistical data analysis, the report details three core research projects of IP Australia, namely the Office of the Chief Economist research project, the data insight and analysis project, and the Australian intellectual property innovation incubation project.

Office of the Chief Economist (OCE): issues empirical research reports and policy reference opinions to improve the understanding across various sectors of society regarding the economic value and industry influence of the intellectual property system, and optimizes intellectual property administrative management efficiency;

Data insight and analysis section: provides patent data analysis services and a one-stop data consultation channel for social market entities, comprehensively addressing various intellectual property-related data query needs;

Australian intellectual property innovation incubation initiative (IPAVentures): assists the agency in creating a world-class intellectual property governance system and empowers high-quality socioeconomic development in Australia.

In 2025, relying on the innovation incubation initiative, the agency launched a digital pilot service—IP First Response, aimed at helping Australian small and medium-sized enterprises understand and master methods for responding to potential intellectual property disputes.