China dominates e-vapor patents

The number of vapor-related patents has skyrocketed in recent years and the field is dominated by China, according to Thomson Reuters. Of more than 2,000 vapor inventions tracked by the company, 64 percent originated in China, 14 percent in the United States and 9 percent in South Korea.

China’s domination of the e-vapor patent market is said to reflect its huge number of smokers, at more than 300 million, and a wider drive by the Chinese government to forge a knowledge economy

In 2005, only eight e-cigarette inventions were described in published patents. The figure jumped to 220 in 2012, to 500 in 2013, and to 650 so far in 2014, according to Thomson Reuters’ IP & Science business.

The original e-cigarette technology is usually credited to Hon Lik, a Chinese researcher.  Imperial Tobacco last year bought the patents owned by the company Hon co-founded.