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Huawei was followed by San Diego-based chipmaker
Qualcomm Inc while Huawei's crosstown rival ZTE Corp, which was
the world's leading applicant in 2012, took third place in its
number of filings, according to the World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO).
WIPO's report, which is sometimes viewed as a rough barometer of
a country's technological progress, noted that China was the
only country to see double-digit growth in its filings, although
U.S. companies led by far. High-tech and automotive powerhouse
Japan, home to last year's leading applicant Panasonic Corp, saw
its total filings slide.
In recent years China's top policymakers have offered incentives
to nudge Chinese companies to shift from low-value, low-cost
manufacturing to fostering innovation.
The country has also made a series of reforms to improve IP
enforcement within its legal system, long considered dubious by
foreign and Chinese firms alike.
The emphasis on innovation was reiterated this month at China's
annual parliamentary session by Premier Li Keqiang, who made a
high-profile visit to Huawei's research and development center
in January.
Huawei has touted its yearly research and development budget -
equal to 10 percent of its revenue - as proportionally higher
than many of its peers in industry. Chief Executive Ken Hu told
reporters in Barcelona this month Huawei will spend $600 million
on 5G wireless research and development from 2013 to 2018.
Chinese technology industry observers say Qualcomm's
antimonopoly settlement reached this year with Chinese
regulators could spark a patent war as Chinese firms such as ZTE
use their IP portfolios - and a stronger legal regime - to
extract royalties from smartphone makers.
(Reporting by Gerry Shih; Editing by Vincent Baby)
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