NL Patent Office

Facts & figures

Over four million patent rights are in force throughout the world and every year around 700,000 new patent applications are filed. NL Patent Office also publishes its most significant achievements every year. A Dutch patent right is maintained for an average of six to eight years and almost half of the applications in the Netherlands are filed electronically.

NL Patent Office	2006	2007	2008
Patents:
Number of patents in force in the Netherlands	139,027	141,906	145,786
Number of patent applications:
- Via NL Patent Office	2,716	2,446	2,732
- Via World Intellectual Property Organisation	1,006	1,043	to follow
Total number of Dutch patents granted	2,361	2,319	2,058
Budget (in euro)
- profit	13.5 mln.	14 mln.	15 mln.
- expenses	13.0 mln.	12.5 mln.	14 mln.
Internet:
- website hits	176,798	239,258	242,715
- patent register hits	47,949	39,592	48,557
- espacenet hits	131,271	140,621	148,234

Annual report
Facts and figures form an integral part of our annual report. Read our annual report 2008.

This year
For detailed information about this year, please click on:

• The Netherlands
• Internationally
• Effective rights
• Supplementary protection certificates
• Licences