The World Intellectual Property Organization recently announced its international patent system has received 2 million patent filings since its inception.

The system, called the Patent Cooperation Treaty, offers innovators a way to register inventions in a framework that has legal standing in a total of 142 countries covered by the treaty. According to WIPO, the PCT helps to streamline and consolidate patenting procedures, making it easier for inventors and companies to have their intellectual property registered internationally.

Mobile technology company Qualcomm had the honor of submitting the 2 millionth patent filing through the system. According to WIPO director general Francis Gurry, Qualcomm is a major user of the PCT. The company has made increasing use of the system, growing its application numbers from 37 in 1995 to 1,677 in 2010.

Paul Jacobs, chairman and CEO of Qualcomm, noted that the company's growth was due in large part to its use of international intellectual property protection. "We congratulate WIPO on this historic milestone," he said. "Our growth and success as a company would not have been possible without the strong protection of our inventions around the world."

The PCT system was first launched in 1978. Companies that have utilized the system the most include Panasonic, Huawei, Siemens, Qualcomm and Toyota.