Brussels, 18/01/2012 (Agence Europe) - The Munich-based European Patents Office (EPO) announced on 17 January that, in 2011, applications for patents had risen to 243,000 up by 3% from the 237,000 of the previous year. The EPO granted 62,115 patents, 7% more than in 2010. The record number of patent applications came “despite the economic and financial crisis”, the Office says in a press release, though a clear majority came from non-European countries. The United States continues to...