Report examines entry of electronics companies into water treatment technology space

CAMBRIDGE, UK, May 8, 2012 -- The World Intellectual Property Organization has recently published a report authored by CambridgeIP examining the latest trends in innovation, technology ownership and geographical focus in the field of water treatment through membrane and UV technologies.

The patent landscape demonstrated that major players from the electronics and FMCG industries are entering the water treatment space by focusing on modular water treatment units and small scale user devices. Products such as modularised UV disinfection units are already on the market in some emerging economies.

"Our IP Landscape and market research confirms yet again the growing innovative and patenting activity in the water industry. Increasing pressure on the water systems globally in both developed and emerging economies is leading to a focus on new technologies from all players in the industry -- and increasingly from the large utilities. Furthermore, modular technologies such as the compact UV-based disinfection units we have seen have the potential to transform aspects of the emerging market water industry... just like off-grid solar energy is transforming the access to energy in off-grid locations," says Ilian Iliev, CEO of CambridgeIP.

CambridgeIP's research found that there is a total of 4,773 patent families dealing with membrane water treatment; in contrast, only 1,829 patent families focus on UV water treatment. Over one-quarter of the patents in both fields have been filed in the last five years.

"In addition to a focus on large water treatment systems, we are increasingly seeing many examples of smaller scale, user-focused devices in the water treatment space. We are investigating how this greater diversity of players, technologies and products in the industry affects market structure," says Helena van der Vegt from CambridgeIP, a co-author of the report.About CambridgeIP
CambridgeIP is a provider of technology intelligence and innovation strategy services to companies around the world, and is a leader in patent landscaping practices internationally. CambridgeIP's work has been covered in leading publications, including the Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg. CambridgeIP products include patent landscaping, competitor mapping and analysis, technology mapping, technology market research, technology evaluation, and M&A analysis. CambridgeIP runs Boliven.com, a leading online information portal for R&D and IP professionals, making available over 100 million scientific and patent documents.You can access this and other CambridgeIP research on water technologies on http://www.cambridgeip.com/waterCambridgeIP®, IP Landscape®, Boliven® are registered trademarks of Cambridge Intellectual Property Ltd, All Rights Reserved.

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