IFI Patent Intelligence, a Wolters Kluwer Health business, has released an annual compilation of the world’s top-ranked U.S.-patent companies, which suggests America’s longstanding dominance of new U.S. patents may be slipping. According to IFI’s analysis, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a total of 157,774 utility patents in calendar year 2008, up slightly over 2007’s total of 157,284.
Although IBM still tops the list and is ahead by a relatively wide margin, the scales of patent-quantity supremacy may be shifting away from corporate America in favor of companies overseas, especially to those in Asia. As part of its analysis, IFI looked at 2008 utility patents assigned to companies separate from those owned by individuals. It found that American companies captured only 49 percent of U.S. patents granted to companies compared to 50 percent in 2007. In addition, the U.S. holds only four — less than half — of the top 10 slots, down from five the prior year. American firms also hold only 12 positions in the top 35, which collectively generated 26 percent of all the utility patents granted in 2008.
IFI’s list of 2008’s Top 35performers is posted on its website, www.ificlaims.com, and follows:
|
Rank |
Company Name |
2008 Patents |
|
1 |
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP |
4186 |
|
2 |
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD KR |
3515 |
|
3 |
CANON K K JP |
2114 |
|
4 |
MICROSOFT CORP |
2030 |
|
5 |
INTEL CORP |
1776 |
|
6 |
MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO LTD JP 1 |
1745 |
|
7 |
TOSHIBA CORP JP |
1609 |
|
8 |
FUJITSU LTD JP |
1494 |
|
9 |
SONY CORP JP |
1485 |
|
10 |
HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT CO L P * |
1424 * |
|
11 |
HITACHI LTD JP |
1313 |
|
12 |
MICRON TECHNOLOGY INC |
1250 |
|
13 |
SEIKO EPSON CORP JP |
1229 |
|
14 |
GENERAL ELECTRIC CO |
912 |
|
15 |
FUJIFILM CORP JP |
869 |
|
16 |
RICOH CO LTD JP |
857 |
|
17 |
INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AG DE |
814 |
|
18 |
LG ELECTRONICS INC KR |
805 |
|
19 |
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INC |
757 |
|
20 |
HONDA MOTOR CO LTD JP |
747 |
|
21 |
SIEMENS AG DE |
724 |
|
22 |
HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO LTD TW |
719 |
|
23 |
DENSO CORP JP |
708 |
|
24 |
CISCO TECHNOLOGY INC |
704 |
|
25 |
BROADCOM CORP |
643 |
|
26 |
HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC |
619 |
|
27 |
NOKIA AB OY FI |
608 |
|
|
SILVERBROOK RESEARCH PTY LTD AU |
608 |
|
29 |
SHARP K K JP |
603 |
|
30 |
NEC CORP JP |
547 |
|
31 |
BROADCOM CORPXEROX CORP |
529 |
|
32 |
LG PHILIPS LCD CO LTD KR 2 |
524 |
|
33 |
RENESAS TECHNOLOGY CORP JP |
513 |
|
34 |
SUN MICROSYSTEMS INC |
509 |
|
35 |
KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS ELECTRONICS N V NL |
497 |
* Includes 4 patents assigned to Hewlett-Packard Co
1 Now Panasonic Corp JP
2 Now LG Display Co Ltd KR
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