Patents, Italia flexes but enters the Top 10

The technological sectors where most innovation takes place differ according to the Italian region of reference: In Lombardy, the main sector is polymers, followed by pharmaceuticals and 'other special machinery'. For Emilia-Romagna, on the other hand, the largest number of patent applications is concentrated in the handling sector, followed by transport and 'other machinery'. Veneto, on the other hand, sees the other special machinery sector in first place, followed by consumer goods and civil engineering. Among the cities, on the other hand, Milan is confirmed as the most innovative in Italia with 561 applications, ranking 16th in Europe and 47th overall. It is followed by Turin with 213 applications, Rome with 208 applications, Modena with 192 and Bologna with 168

Amidst alleged bubbles and strong stock market fluctuations, 'In this complex economic phase,' explains Gualtiero Dragotti, intellectual property partner at Dla Piper, 'having, as a system in Italia, patents linked to manufacturing innovation represents a strength, even if they are linked to traditional sectors.

Globally, however, computer technology is the leading sector in 2025 in terms of patent applications filed with EPO (+6.1 per cent over 2024), driven by the segment related to artificial intelligence (+9.5 per cent) and to a small extent quantum technologies (+37.9 per cent). This is followed by digital communication (+11.4%), fuelled by the race to develop 6G technologies, energy equipment (with a focus on batteries) and the growth trend (+7.6%) in semiconductors. Pharmaceuticals (-6.3%) and biotechnology (-3.3%) declined.

Finally, the unitary patent - launched in 2023 - has over 80,000 applications filed to date and a 28.7 per cent accession rate in 2025, offering a simplified path to protection in all sectors in 18 EU Member States. The patent will be available in 18 EU Member States

In 2025, 26 per cent of applications from Europe were filed by individual inventors or SMEs (companies with fewer than 250 employees), with a further 7 per cent coming from universities and public research organisations (see chart breakdown of applicants by category). "This shows," Epo explains, "that access to the patent system as a springboard for small businesses wishing to broaden the impact of their inventions has been facilitated by the recent reductions in patent fees for micro-enterprises, individuals, non-profit organisations, universities and research institutes.

italian patent owners have requested unitary protection for 51.7 per cent of the European patents granted to them in 2025 (1,947 total). This percentage is up from 44.4 per cent in 2024 and well above the EU average of 40.7 per cent.
It is the large global companies such as Samsung, Siemens and Johnson & Johnson that have applied for unitary patents the most. Nevertheless, SMEs, universities and public research organisations now hold almost half of all unitary patents granted to European innovators.

"The unitary patent is certainly an important achievement," Dragotti goes on to explain, "because it extends the scope of intellectual property protection to more countries in a more cost-effective manner, but, it must be remembered, in the event of litigation the costs can be much higher, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises.

"The unitary patent," added Roberta Romano-Götsch, Epo spokesperson and chief sustainability officer, "is having a strong momentum in Italia, and has a particularly high adoption rate among Italian innovators, making the country the third largest in the EU in terms of number of unitary patents . In 2025, Italian patent holders sought unitary protection for 51.7% of their European patents, a figure significantly higher than the EU average of 40.7% (and the global average of 28.7%) and up from 44.4% the previous year. This shows,' Romano-Götsch concluded, 'that Italian companies, universities and SMEs recognise the system as a cost-effective solution with a simplified procedure that allows them to protect their inventions in EU markets.