By Edward Taylor and Ben Klayman
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The car industry's international patent filings jumped 18 percent in 2013, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) said on Thursday, in part reflecting a push for new technologies to lower exhaust emissions.
"In line with growing investments in research and development, the automobile industry has seen a sharp increase in international patent filings over the last three years," WIPO said in a statement.
In 2013, 4,275 patents were filed by auto manufacturers, compared with 3,606 in 2012. Patent applications jumped 84 percent from 2010, when 2,322 were filed, WIPO said.
Regulators across the world are demanding that auto makers increase fuel efficiency and lower carbon dioxide pollution levels, a challenge that has forced manufacturers to invest in more efficient engines and new lightweight technologies.
The Obama administration in the United States finalized gas mileage standards in 2012, calling on automakers to boost their corporate average fuel economy (CAFE).
Last month, the European Parliament tightened carbon dioxide pollution standards.
The rise in patents comes as car companies are increasingly relying on software and powerful computers to help make cars safer, more entertaining, more fuel efficient and better at solving problems.
The need to lower C02 emissions has been particularly tough for German manufacturers, who have relied on making high-powered limousines, forcing them to develop new technologies.
