Thank you, Paul.

US-originating filings rose by 5.5%. That’s a greater increase than the overall figure of 4%. The more striking, I think, given the prominence amongst the EPO’s Top Ten Applicant corporations of the leading names from China and Korea.

To be provocative, one might suggest that East Asia have their Leading Names but not much else whereas the USA have both Top Ten names and a stable or increasing number of Top Hundred filers.

What more do you want, as an indicator of the enduring strength of the US economy, US competitiveness, US technical innovation?

In other news today, when Italy cried out to its EU Member States for help with the Corona virus, with rush supplies of face masks and anti-infection clothing, what happened? Nothing from any other EU country but plane loads from China straightaway. That of course is because China (unlike EU Member States) has no fear of upsetting its voters by diverting some of its medical supply inventory to Italians.

Democracies, let’s be careful out there, lest all sorts of bad things happen while we sleep.