China moved into the second position as a source of international patent applications filed via WIPO in 2017, closing in on long-time leader United States of America, in another record year in the use of WIPO's intellectual property servicesfor patents, trademarks and industrial designs.

In a landmark moment in Madrid System history, the Government of Indonesia has deposited its instrument of accession to the Madrid Protocol with WIPO’s Director General, making Indonesia the 100th member of the Madrid Union. The Protocol will enter into force for Indonesia on January 2, 2018.

Innovators in China powered global patent applications to a new record in 2015, filing more than a million applications for the first time ever within a single year amid rising worldwide demand for intellectual property rights that undergird economic activity.