That sinking feeling: why European patent applications are down

In contrast, US utility patent applications filed in the same period remained the same as in 2007 and 2008. About 456,000 applications were filed in the US in 2009—3.4 times more than were filed at the European Patent Office (EPO). This is interesting considering that an EP application is valid in 40 countries with a combined population of almost twice that of the US.