South Korea ranked fourth in the world last year in applications filed under the World Intellectual Property Organization’s(WIPO) patent cooperation treaty(PCT).

According to the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Thursday, there were 278-thousand-100 PCT applications filed globally in 2022, up zero-point-three percent from a year earlier.

South Korea had 22-thousand-12 applications filed, up six-point-two percent on-year, to stay in the fourth spot for the third straight year.

Samsung Electronics was the second-most prolific company worldwide after with four-thousand-387 applications. Hyundai Motor came in fifth and LG Electronics ninth.

Applications from Huawei and other Chinese entities topped the ranking for the fourth consecutive year with a combined 70-thousand-15 filings, followed by those from the U.S. with 59-thousand-56 and Japan with 50-thousand-345.