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Patent Index 2024: Japan ranks 3rd in European patent applications

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European Patent Office received nearly 200 000 patent applications last year, with Japanese companies and inventors filing 10.6% of the total Electrical machinery/energy, transport and computers are leading technology fields for Japanese inventions Tokyo 1st in global city ranking  Sony Group is among the EPO’s Top 10 applicant companies Four Japanese companies among the EPO’s Top 25 applicants worldwide.

MUNICH and TOKYO, March 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — According to the latest Patent Index 2024, published today by the European Patent Office (EPO), Japan ranked third worldwide, following the United States and Germany. In 2024, Japanese companies and inventors filed a total of 21,062 patent applications, accounting for 10.6% of all filings at the EPO. While this represents a  2.4% decrease compared to 2023, Japan remains a powerhouse in technological advancements. Overall, the EPO received 199,264 patent applications worldwide last year, maintaining a steady level of patenting activity comparable to 2023 (199,452 applications), following three years of significant growth.

“Despite political and economic uncertainties, companies and inventors from around the world filed a high number of patents last year, underlining their technological prowess and their continued investment in R&D,” said EPO President António Campinos. “The EPO’s patent data is a clear roadmap for industry, policy, and investment priorities – tracking global innovation trends and offering insights into European patent application activity across industries and regions.” 

Japanese companies excel across key technological sectors

Japanese companies remain leaders in multiple high-growth industries. Japan’s leading field for European patent applications, electrical machinery, apparatus, energy,  saw a total of 2,077 Japanese patent applications, an 8.4% increase compared to 2023. In the area of battery technologies (an important sub-field of electrical machinery), Japanese companies filed 20% more patent applications at the EPO in 2024 compared to 2023. Japan’s second most important field, transport  – which covers automotive, aircraft/aerospace and rail technologies, also experienced growth from Japan, with 1,357 applications, marking a 3.7% rise. The number 3 field was computer technology, with Japanese companies filing 20% more patent applications in several AI-related sub-fields..

Sony Group among the Top 10 in patent applications in Europe

Four Japanese companies ranked among the top 25 patent filers at the EPO. Sony Group led the way with 1,307 applications, securing the 9th position worldwide, up from 10th in 2023. It was followed by Panasonic with 990 filings, Canon with 760 applications, while Hitachi contributed 653. Sony was no. 7 applicant overall at the EPO in computer technology. 13th in measurement and 14th in digital communication. Toyota also made significant strides, ranking no. 4 for vehicle technology (an important sub-field of transport) and second in electric propulsion (electric vehicle) technology, with a notable 12.7% increase in patent applications compared to the previous year.

Japan also showed continued strength in innovation in battery technologies; in the battery-related sub-field of electrical machinery, apparatus, and energy, Japan placed three companies in the global top 10: Panasonic (4th place, 279 patents), Prime Planet Energy (8th place, 85 patents), and Toyota Motor(10th place).

Tokyo 1st in city ranking: Japan’s innovation hub and leading patent contributor

The Tokyo metropolitan area plays a pivotal role in driving Japan’s global technological presence, and it is Japan’s leading prefecture with a total of 11,592 patent applications at the EPO.. Tokyo is also the second largest region worldwide for European patent filings at the EPO, behind the US state of California and ahead of Guangdong (CN), Île-de-France (FR) and Bavaria (DE). Tokyo also leads the worldwide city ranking at the EPO.  Its dominance in patent filings spans a diverse range of industries, including electronics, AI, clean energy, and mobility solutions. Following Tokyo, Osaka ranks second among prefectures, with 2,979 patent applications, while Aichi takes third place with 1,447 applications, marking an impressive 21.9% growth. 

Unitary Patent gains in popularity in its second year

The Unitary Patent system, launched in 2023, continues to gain momentum, offering innovators from around the world simpler and more accessible patent protection across 18 EU Member States with a single request to the EPO. Unitary protection was requested for 25.6% of all European patents granted by the EPO in 2024 totalling over 28,000 requests. Patentees from EPO member states had the highest uptake rate, with 36.5% of their European patents transformed into Unitary Patents, followed by those from Republic of Korea (18.9%), China (17.9%), the US (16.0%), and Japan (7.9%, up from 4.9% in 2023).

Further information

View the Patent Index 2024 in fullExplore and customise statistics in our Statistics & Trends CentreAccess Unitary Patent statistics via our dedicated dashboard Download datasets (MS Excel) in the Download data section of our statistics pageCheck patent trends on the go with the EPO Data Hub mobile appRead studies on innovation trends at the Observatory on Patents and Technology EPO’s support for SMEs, universities, non-profit organisations and other smaller applicants

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Official hashtag: #EPOPatentIndex

About the EPO
With 6 300 staff members, the European Patent Office (EPO) is one of the largest public service institutions in Europe. Headquartered in Munich with offices in Berlin, Brussels, The Hague and Vienna, the EPO was founded with the aim of strengthening co-operation on patents in Europe. Through the EPO’s centralised patent granting procedure, inventors are able to obtain high-quality patent protection in up to 45 countries, covering a market of some 700 million people. The EPO is also the world’s leading authority in patent information and patent searching.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/patent-index-2024-japan-ranks-3rd-in-european-patent-applications-302414573.html

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From Remote Racing to Embodied AI: Fibocom and Intedigo Bring 5G Bidirectional Data Transmission into Real-World Applications

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SHANGHAI, July 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — From July 17 to 20, Fibocom and Intedigo will jointly present a cross-regional, beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) teleoperation demonstration at Booth H3-C408 during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2026. Visitors will be able to enter a remote driving cockpit and control a real race car located at HURA PARK in Jiading, Shanghai, steering, accelerating, and braking in real time while experiencing how 5G connectivity enables remote operation.

More than an immersive driving experience, the demonstration provides a live validation of 5G bidirectional data transmission for embodied AI teleoperation. The vehicle continuously sends live track video, vehicle status, and operating data to the remote cockpit, while control commands are transmitted back to the vehicle, creating a closed-loop teleoperation system. Stable, low-latency, and highly reliable connectivity is essential for high-dynamic maneuvers such as high-speed cornering, precision braking, and continuous lane changes.

Developed by Intedigo, the remote driving system connects a real race car with an immersive remote driving cockpit. It supports 1080p@60Hz video transmission, glass-to-glass (G2G) video latency of less than 80 ms, and control latency of less than 10 ms. The demanding racing environment magnifies differences in video continuity and control responsiveness, making communications performance directly perceptible, measurable, and verifiable.

At the joint demonstration, Fibocom’s FM160 5G module provides cellular connectivity for the system. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon™ X62 5G Modem-RF System, the FM160 supports SA and NSA network architectures as well as 3GPP Release 16. On the downlink, it supports NR Carrier Aggregation (NR CA) with bandwidth of up to 120 MHz, delivering peak speeds of up to 3.5 Gbps in NSA mode and 2.5 Gbps in SA mode. On the uplink, it supports UL MIMO and delivers peak speeds of up to 900 Mbps in SA mode. These capabilities support the continuous transmission of HD video and vehicle status data, along with reliable delivery of control commands.

As embodied AI moves into factories, data centers, logistics operations, and industrial parks, robots are becoming increasingly capable of performing tasks autonomously. Yet complex environments, unexpected events, and edge cases still require Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) remote intervention to help ensure safe and reliable operation.

Daniel Liu, CEO of Intedigo, said:

“5G represents the pinnacle of human communications and the starting point of machine communications. In the past, communications connected people to people; in the future, they will connect people to robots and robots to robots. Remote racing is simply the easiest entry point for people to understand this concept. What we are truly validating is a communications system capable of supporting remote collaboration for embodied AI. HURA makes low-latency remote driving a tangible experience, while RoBOX extends this capability to robots and a broader range of intelligent terminals. Together with Fibocom, we hope to enable more machines to receive remote assistance whenever needed while remaining continuously connected and operating reliably.”

Simon Tao, VP of Wireless Solutions Business Group and General Manager of MBB BU at Fibocom, said:

“As embodied AI enters real-world industrial environments, reliable connectivity will become the foundation for telemetry feedback, remote control and operational management. Fibocom’s 5G solutions, represented by FM160, provide the cellular connectivity required for continuous on-site data transmission and reliable control command delivery. Fibocom will continue collaborating with ecosystem partners such as Intedigo to bring cellular connectivity to more robots, autonomous machines and mobile intelligent terminals, enabling embodied AI systems to stay continuously connected and respond reliably in real-world applications.”

From remote race cars to robots, unmanned equipment, and mobile intelligent terminals, 5G is evolving from connecting people to connecting machines. This joint demonstration makes the capabilities of 5G bidirectional data transmission directly perceptible, experiential, and verifiable, helping pave the way for embodied AI to scale across real-world applications.
 

About Fibocom

Fibocom, founded in 1999, is China’s first wireless communication module company listed on both the A-share and H-share markets (300638.SZ, 0638.HK). As a global leading provider of wireless communication modules and AI solutions, Fibocom leverages wireless communication and artificial intelligence as its core technologies to provide integrated hardware and software solutions that empower industry applications. These solutions accelerate the transformation from “Connect Everything” to “Intelligent Connectivity” across diverse industries.

Fibocom’s one-stop solutions encompass cellular communication, AI, automotive, and GNSS modules, as well as AI toolchains, supporting industry-side and mainstream large model integration, and providing AI Agent, global connectivity, and cloud services, driving the digital intelligence upgrades in industries such as robotics, consumer electronics, low-altitude economy, intelligent transportation, smart retail, and smart energy.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/from-remote-racing-to-embodied-ai-fibocom-and-intedigo-bring-5g-bidirectional-data-transmission-into-real-world-applications-302828996.html

SOURCE Fibocom Wireless Inc.

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DR. PHONE FIX ANNOUNCES SECOND TRANCHE CLOSING OF NON-BROKERED CONVERTIBLE DEBENTURE UNIT FINANCING

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/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/

EDMONTON, AB, July 18, 2026 /CNW/ — Dr. Phone Fix Canada Corporation (“Dr. Phone Fix” or the “Company”) (TSXV: DPF) is pleased to announce that, further to its news release dated May 19, 2026 and June 24, 2026 (the “Prior News Releases”), it has closed the second tranche of its non-brokered private placement (the “Offering”) of convertible debenture units of the Company (each, a “Unit”). The Company issued 726 Units, at a price of $1,000 per Unit, for aggregate gross proceeds of $726,000. Each Unit is comprised of (i) one $1,000 principal amount unsecured convertible debenture of the Company (a “Convertible Debenture”) and (ii) 3,125 common share (“Common Share”) purchase warrants of the Company (each, a “Warrant”). Additional detail on the Offering, including terms of the Convertible Debentures and Warrants, is set out in the Prior News Releases.

In connection with the Offering, the Company paid a finder’s fee consisting of an aggregate cash fee of $50,820 and issued an aggregate of 317,625 common share purchase warrants of the Company (each, a “Finder’s Warrant”) to certain qualified arm’s length parties. Each Finder’s Warrant is exercisable to acquire one Common Share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.22 prior to the date that is 24 months from the date of issuance.

All securities issued pursuant to the Offering, including any Common Shares issuable upon conversion of the Convertible Debentures or exercise of the Warrants and Finder’s Warrants, are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the closing of the Offering, in accordance with applicable securities laws and TSX Venture Exchange (the “TSXV”) policies. 

The Offering remains subject to final acceptance of the TSXV.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described in this news release in the United States. Such securities have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act, or any state securities laws, and, accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States, or to or for the account or benefit of persons in the United States or “U.S. Persons”, as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act, unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to an exemption from such registration requirements.

About Dr. Phone Fix

Dr. Phone Fix is a national, award-winning, eco-friendly, and customer-centric leader in Canada’s cell phone and electronics repair and certified pre-owned device industry. Founded in 2019, the Company now operates 44 retail locations nationwide through a standardized and scalable operating platform designed to support consistent execution across multiple markets, delivering fast, reliable, and environmentally conscious repair services alongside a curated selection of certified pre-owned devices and premium accessories. Dr. Phone Fix maintains strong partnerships with OEMs and certified suppliers, ensuring consistently high-quality standards across its national footprint. With a focus on responsible device lifecycle management, customer service, and operational discipline, Dr. Phone Fix continues to set the benchmark for device care and resale in Canada.

www.docphonefix.com

NEITHER THE TSXV NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSXV) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

Forward-Looking Information and Cautionary Statements

Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as “may”, “should”, “anticipate”, “expect”, “potential”, “believe”, “intend” or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements relating to: the final acceptance of the Offering by the TSXV; and the expected use of proceeds following the closing of the Offering. Forward-looking information in this news release is based on certain assumptions and expected future events, namely: the Company’s financial condition and development plans do not change as a result of unforeseen events; the TSXV will provide its final acceptance of the Offering; and the Company will be able to obtain the financing required in order to develop and continue its business and operations. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to: the Company’s inability to obtain TSXV final acceptance for the Offering; the potential failure to complete the balance of the Offering or to raise the full anticipated gross proceeds; market conditions and investor demand for the Company’s securities; the Company’s inability to deploy the proceeds as currently intended; and general economic and market conditions. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and reflect the Company’s expectations as of the date hereof and are subject to change thereafter. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, estimates or opinions, future events or results or otherwise or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.

 

SOURCE Dr. Phone Fix

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Football Tournament Season Sparks Global Social Connection Surge as 3Fun Reports Growth Across Key Markets

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NEW YORK, July 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As the World Cup enters its final stage and fans celebrate across the globe, new data from 3Fun, the leading dating app for open-minded singles and partners, reveals that the World Cup’s impact extends far beyond the stadium. The tournament has ignited a massive surge in global social activity, with users increasingly turning to the platform to translate sporting euphoria into personal connections.

The “Celebratory Intimacy” Effect: Why Winning Drives Matching

Psychological research has long suggested that major sports victories do more than just boost national pride; they influence human biology and intimacy. Studies indicate that watching a favorite team win can temporarily elevate testosterone levels in fans, leading to a surge in sexual desire and “celebratory intimacy”. This theory is vividly reflected in 3Fun’s latest performance metrics.

Compared with the previous 20-day period, 3Fun saw a 6.13% increase in Daily Active Users (DAU) during the peak of the World Cup season (June 23 – July 12), adding more than 275,000 active participants. The platform’s “heat” was further evidenced by an additional 446,491 messages sent, while the user match rate jumped by 5.71%, resulting in nearly 50,000 new connections.

Spain and Argentina Lead the “Lust for Victory”

The data shows a direct correlation between success on the pitch and activity on 3Fun. Nations with deep football cultures and strong tournament performances saw the highest growth:

Spain: Witnessed a staggering 37.56% surge in new users.Argentina: Followed with a 26.62% increase.France & Mexico: Saw growth rates of 25.44% and 21.42% respectively.

In the U.S., cities like Houston (+8.98%) and New York (+7.45%) led the way. This trend aligns with a broader cultural shift: recent 3Fun data reveals that 69% of Americans report a growing interest in non-traditional relationships, with 77% of seekers preferring dating apps to find compatible partners.

Digital Jet-Setting: 3Fun’s “Roaming” Feature Becomes a Fan Favorite

While millions traveled for the games, many more “traveled” virtually. 3Fun’s new Roaming feature, currently in gray-scale testing, allows users to explore connections beyond their current location by virtually discovering communities in other cities.

The top 10 “Roaming” destinations during the Football Tournament  season reveal where the world’s social interest was concentrated:

Sao Paulo, Brazil (17.35% of total roaming volume)New York, USA (14.82%)Las Vegas, USA (11.37%)Los Angeles, USA (11.19%)London, UK (9.89%)Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (7.40%)Houston, USA (7.36%)Dallas, USA (7.18%)Miami, USA (6.85%)Chicago, USA (6.60%).

The dominance of Brazilian cities like Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro highlights a “digital pilgrimage” to the spiritual home of football, where users sought to connect with the local energy and like-minded fans.

3Fun Insight: Connection Beyond the Game

“Major global events like the World Cup bring people together far beyond the borders of the pitch,” said Daniel Morgan, 3Fun’s Director of Social Trends. “Our data shows that users aren’t just looking for scores; they are looking for meaningful, shared experiences. Whether through virtual roaming or local matching, these events create unique windows for people to explore their desires in a safe, celebratory, and inclusive community”.

Daniel further noted, “With 72% of users noticing growing acceptance of diverse relationship styles, global sports events such as the World Cup represent a moment when people feel more open to meeting others and exploring new forms of connection”.

About 3Fun: With over 10 million downloads and 3 million verified active users worldwide, 3Fun is the leading dating app for open-minded singles and partners to meet like-minded people. The platform provides a safe and inclusive space to explore ethical open relationships and polyamory, fostering community and connection without judgment. 

Disclaimer: 3Fun is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by FIFA, the World Cup, or any official World Cup organizing body. All references to the tournament are descriptive or for informational and topical context only.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/football-tournament-season-sparks-global-social-connection-surge-as-3fun-reports-growth-across-key-markets-302828995.html

SOURCE 3Fun

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