Scientific and technological contributions from the ‘Periphery’: A look at patent applications filed with the participation of Colombians

By their nature, patents allow for the protection of creations or inventions in various technological sectors and in countries of commercial or industrial interest. They also record information about inventors and holders, as well as the novel features of the invention. With this in mind, this article considers the contributions of Colombians in the global context by analyzing patent applications submitted between 2000 and 2019 in jurisdictions other than their own.

The research focused on the analysis of patent application records obtained from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) patent database, in which at least one Colombian was listed as a holder. The results show that while the number of applications was not very high, they were distributed across various technological areas and were primarily filed in Europe, North America, and Asia, with minimal participation in Central and South America. Analysis also revealed a high level of collaboration, with 69% of the applications filed jointly. Additionally, 84% of the holders associated with the records obtained are natural persons.