IBERIAN STUDY – PATENTS AND RURAL FIRE CONTROL
The study ‘Patents and rural fire control’, carried out by the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI), together with the Spanish Institute of Patents and Trademarks (OEPM), reveals the most promising technologies (which have an associated patent document) in the area of rural fire fighting and control, revealing the crucial role that Industrial Property plays in encouraging innovation in this area too. It also explains the main initiatives and policies adopted in this area in Portugal and Spain. It also includes a chapter dedicated to AGIF’s opinion on fire prevention and detection in Portugal, as a public institute responsible for the integrated analysis, planning, assessment and strategic coordination of the Integrated Rural Fire Management System, including qualified intervention in high-risk events.
Between 2010 and 2021, 3,137 patent documents or utility models directly related to rural fires were published. Over the last decade, the number of patent applications related to rural fires has progressively increased worldwide. In 2021, 357.66% more patent applications were published worldwide than in 2011. In particular, in the last 5 years, the number of applications has increased at a rapid pace, with Spain being the European Union country that has filed the most patent applications in the field of rural fires.