Final answer:
The "first to file" patent regime is indeed followed by the majority of world countries, with the United States switching to this system in 2011. Patents, important for protecting inventors and encouraging innovation, have seen increased applications since the 1990s, partly due to the rise of the Internet.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question concerns the patent filing system, specifically questioning whether the "first to file" regime is followed by the majority of world countries. The "first to file" system means that the right to the grant of a patent for an invention goes to the first person to file a patent application for that invention, regardless of the date of actual invention. It is true that most countries, including members of the European Union and other signatories to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), follow the "first to file" rule. This change is also reflected in the Americas, with the United States switching from a "first to invent" to a "first to file" system with the America Invents Act of 2011.
Patents are an integral part of intellectual property laws, designed to encourage innovation by granting inventors exclusive rights to their inventions for a certain period. The number of applications filed for patents significantly increased in the 1990s and 2000s, accompanying the rise of the Internet and the enactment of laws like the 1998 Copyright Term Extension Act. Despite the protection provided by patents, economic studies indicate inventors receive only a portion of the total economic value their inventions generate.