KOREA FOUNDATION

Korea 2nd in Rise of Patent Applications for AI-based Medical Image Analysis Tech

The global market for artificial intelligence-based medical image analysis technology is surging with the widespread use of X-rays, CT, and MRI. A recent report from the Korea Intellectual Property Office said the number of patent applications for such technology filed with the world’s five largest intellectual property offices—namely those in China, the European Union, Japan, Korea, and the US—saw an average annual growth of 54.7 percent from 58 in 2011 to 2,946 in 2020. The five countries are collectively referred to as the IP5.

Over the 10-year period, Korea showed the second-fastest average annual growth in patent applications in the sector with 67.1 percent, trailing only China with 86.8 percent. China also led in the number of patent applications submitted by nationality with 3,477 or 39.8 percent, followed by the US with 1,733 (19.8%), Korea 1,057 (12.1%), Japan 980 (11.2%), and Germany 522 (6%).

AI-based Medical Image Analysis TechPatent ApplicationsKorea Intellectual Property Office