The 2013 Trademark Report by Thomson Compumark provides an overview of trademark activity across 186 countries, including the most active product and services Classes and a revealing by-market breakdown that examines filing trends worldwide.

The statistics reveal a major shift by multinational brand owners towards emerging markets, as evidenced by the change from 2012 to 2013 in the composition of the top 10 countries with the most published trademarks. The 2013 list is led by China, and top-ten stalwarts the United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada were replaced this year by India, Mexico, and Taiwan for number of trademarks published. Also noteworthy, in 2013 the largest increase in published trademarks was seen in Brazil, with 53 percent growth over 2012. From 2012 to 2013, large growth was also seen in South Korea at 23 percent and in Turkey at 18 percent.

The statistics highlight a shift toward investment in developing markets. If the statistics cited in the report are not compelling enough on their own, Thomson notes that many of the world’s largest retail brands, including Wal-Mart in the U.S. and the U.K.’s Tesco, saw their revenues grow 25 times faster in developing economies than in their own home countries.