GENEVA — L’Oréal was the world’s top filer of international trademark applications in 2021 with a total of 171, sharply up from 116 a year earlier, which moved it up four slots to regain the premier ranking the world’s largest beauty company last held in 2019, a report by the World Intellectual Property Organization said.
Other leading brands in the fashion and beauty sectors slipped in the latest annual rankings, however.
Shiseido filed 44 fewer applications in 2021, for a total of 89, and saw a six-slots drop to ninth place. Similarly, Abercrombie & Fitch Europe SA filed 12 fewer applications last year, for a total of 36.
The latest findings by the Geneva-based WIPO show that fashion and beauty companies were active filers in a bid to protect and promote their brands and commercial interests globally.
“Human ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit remain strong despite the disruptions caused by the pandemic,” said Daren Tang, WIPO director-general.
The WIPO data also shows that Germany’s Beiersdorf AG made 60 international trademark filings; Bath & Body Works Brand Management Inc., 57; Louis Vuitton Malletier, 28; Firmenich SA, 27; Hermès International, 25; Richemont International SA, 23, and Estée Lauder Cosmetics Ltd. Canada, 20.
Overall, international trademark applications in all sectors, WIPO said, surged by 14.4 percent in 2021 to reach 73,100 filings, “the fastest year-on-year growth since 2005.”
In 2021, U.S.-based applicants, WIPO said, filed the largest number of applications with 13,276, up from 10,017 the year before, and retained the title as the country with the most applications, followed by Germany (8,799), China (5,272), France (4,888) and the U.K. (4,215).