Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) statistics at a glace

IMPI has published the official statistics up to the first semester of the current year 2021. This report, among other things, is very useful and interesting to realize the Covid 19 impact on the intellectual property (IP) rights before the Mexican Patent and Trademark Office.

A continuación, encontrará el análisis relacionado de los principales asuntos de PI:

Hereunder, you will find the related analysis of the main IP matters:

2015 was the last year that IMPI registered an increase in filings received at the office. Applicants filed 22,741 inventions that represented an 8.68% increase versus the previous year 2014. Nonetheless, from 2016 to 2019 the trend started to steadily decrease on an average of -2.71% per year.

During 2019, the decrease was of -3.93% (20,371 applications) and last year 2020, when the Covid reached Mexico, the virus impacted the filing of inventions on -10.20% which represented 18,293 applications.

This year 2021 registers an important recovery since during the first semester 10,313 inventions have been filed before IMPI. This number represents an increase of 12.75% taking in consideration a linear extrapolation compared to the first half of 2020. 

On the other hand, one of the main objectives of the former IMPI General Director was the modernization of IMPI’s technological infrastructure and the offering of electronic services that are at the forefront to the IP system users. Ironically, the pandemic has contributed to the use of these services in order to avoid a situation similar to that of 2020 when IMPI suspended activities following measures implemented by the Secretariat of Health of the Federal Government. During this period, the filing was made by electronic means only.

During 2020, inventions filed electronically represented 87% of the overall applications. In 2019, this way was used by only 39% of the users.

The first semester of 2021, 92% of filings come from e-means. 

In connection to the country of origin of patent applications, the United States of America is still the most important country in this regard with 16,903 applications filed from 2019 to the first semester of 2021. Mexico ranks second with 2,965 cases followed by Germany. The graphic below shows the top 10 countries.

Distinctive Signs

These IP rights have been constantly growing since 2010 even despite of the 2020 covid 19 pandemic. During the virus presence in our country (2020), IMPI received practically the same number of applications as the previous year 2019 (141,774 vs 139,787) representing a marginal increase of 1.42%. One of the main reasons why trademarks were less impacted, was that most of the applicants used the electronic filing and the IMPI suspension of activities did not affect this procedure.

Additionally, applicants have filed 87,863 cases before IMPI during the first semester of the current year. Taking into consideration a linear extrapolation with respect to first semester of 2020, this figure represents an increase of 24% with respect to first semester of last year. 

As mentioned above, the use of electronic means for trademark matters has had an exponential increase over the recent years with an average growth of 30% considering the last 10 years. During the pandemic year (2020) applicants filed their cases by e-filing in 86% of the time. The first half of 2021 this means represents 91% of the total filings (80,243 cases).

In connection to the country of origin of distinctive signs applications, Mexico historically has been the most important country. Taking into consideration applications filed from 2019 to the first semester of 2021, the second place is occupied by the United States of America followed by Germany. The graphic below exhibits the top 10 countries.

Mexico adhered to the Madrid Protocol in February 2013 and as from said year, the average annual increase has been approximately 24%.

Due to the worldwide crisis provoked by coronavirus, in 2020 applicants filed 25,826 cases via Madrid designating our country. This volume represented a decrease of 5% versus the previous year 2019.

The first semester of this current year (2021), 13,936 applications have been filed designating Mexico, and applying a linear extrapolation with the first semester of 2020, representing an increase of 8%.

As it may be seen from the above numbers and information, it seems that IP filings before the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property will have a gradual recovery from the pandemic. Nevertheless, we will have to wait for the worldwide economic impact in the short term as well.

On the other hand, from a functional point of view, the IMPI is in the right direction to become an electronic office that helps users to perform their operations in a more efficient way.