CONGRATULATIONS! YOU'RE THE ONE MILLIONth CUSTOMER! Since the PCT system started in 1978, Companies around the world have filed applications for 1 million international patents, the U.N. agency for intellectual property said Friday.

The United States currently dominates the applications, filing 205,286 applications since 2000, said Samar Shamoon, spokeswoman for the World Intellectual Property Organization.

Japan is in second place with 72,891, followed by Germany with 70,513, Britain 25,916 and France 24,278.