Due to the outbreak of Covid-19, life extension of human beings, and the shift of the medical care model to focus on preventive health management, the public's attention to epidemic prevention has increased, with a following rise in the number of patent applications related to medical devices.

According to statistics from the Korean Intellectual Property Office, from 2011 to 2020, the average annual growth rate of patent applications was 2.2%, while for the patent applications in the medical devices field, its average annual growth rate was 8%, with the increment of cases from 6,633 in 2011 to 13,217 in 2020, and there was a sharp increase of 15.8% in 2020. In accordance with statistics from the Korea Medical Device Industry Association, from 2010 to 2019, the annual growth rate of the Korean medical device industry market scale was 8%, and the growth rate in 2019 was 14.5%, which is similar to the growth trend of patent applications, indicating that medical device industry activities are relevant to patent applications.

In terms of technical fields, the cumulative number of cases in the field of surgical treatment devices is up to 13,534 cases in total, including scalpels and catheters. The area of medical information devices had the largest increment, with an average annual growth rate of 19.7%, which includes medical records management, health management applications, and telemedicine platforms. The patent applications have achieved huge growth, showing the trend of medical device technology development combining the fourth-generation industrial technologies such as smart medical care, big data, and AI.

The applicant having the most patent applications in the medical devices field is Samsung Electronics, with a total of 2,316 applications in the past ten years, ranking first in the fields of imaging diagnostics, biometrics, and medical information; among medium-sized companies, Seoul Viosys, Bodyfriend and OSSTEM IMPLANT respectively ranked first in medical aids, therapeutic aids and dental appliances; SMEs MEKISCS and IntroMedic come out on top in the field of anesthesia breathing.

From Tai E International Patent & Law Office

September 2021