The landscape of patent filing activity across Australia and New Zealand underwent continued transformation in 2024, marked by declining total filings and ongoing shifts in market share distribution and firm performance. Total standard patent applications filed in Australia decreased by 3.4% to 30,442, while New Zealand experienced a more pronounced decline of 7.3% to 6,202 applications. These trends are set against a backdrop of substantial structural change in the industry, most notably the acquisition of QANTM IP Limited by private equity management company Adamantem Capital in August, leaving IPH Limited as the last publicly listed ownership group standing.
As was the case last year, analysis of filing patterns reveals trends that create challenges for patent attorney firms regardless of their ownership structures. While direct filings in Australia increased by 7.5% to 9,238, this was more than offset by PCT national phase entries declining by 7.5% to 21,202, suggesting shifting preferences in filing strategies. Provisional applications showed modest growth of 2.2% to 4,335, marking a second consecutive year of recovery from post-pandemic lows, though still significantly below pre-2019 levels.
A market share analysis presents particularly interesting insights into evolving industry dynamics. Independent firms collectively increased their share of Australian patent filings to 49.6%, continuing a trajectory of share growth that has seen smaller practices double their collective presence since 2014. This shift occurred as IPH group firms experienced further decline in collective share to 35.0%, while QANTM IP, under its new private equity ownership, maintained relatively stable positioning at 15.4%. These changes reflect broader industry trends toward smaller, specialised practices, though the notable declines experienced by larger firms across both independent and group categories suggest that size, as much as ownership structure, continues to be anb influence on client choice.
