Monday IPDate August 4, 2025

EPO: Inventions for photovoltaics increased more than seventeen-fold in three decades

The latest technology insight report from the EPO’s Observatory on Patents and Technology reveals that innovation in photovoltaics has experienced significant growth over the last three decades. For the years 2020-2023, 48% of all inventions were related to device technologies, followed by applications (25%), photovoltaic materials (17%) and device management (10%).

> EPO: Inventions for photovoltaics increased more than seventeen-fold in three decades

USPTO launches new design patent examination AI tool

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is launching DesignVision, the first artificial intelligence (AI)-based image search tool available to design patent examiners via the Patents End-to-End (PE2E) search suite. DesignVision is the latest step in the agency’s broader efforts to streamline and modernize examination and reduce application pendency.

> USPTO launches new design patent examination AI tool