US Patents Up Slightly in 2008
27 November 2012
The number of patents issued by the US Patent & Trademark Office grew slightly in 2008, according to a study released by IFI Patent Intelligence. The USPTO issued 157,774 utility patents in 2008, up slightly from 157,284 in 2007.
IBM retained its top spot in terms of total patents issued with 4,186.
“IBM’s leadership in the strategic use of intellectual property is based on balancing proprietary and open innovation,” said John E Kelly III, IBM senior vice president and director of IBM Research. “Our goal is helping stimulate innovation as public investments in large infrastructure projects are being planned to boost global economies. We also anticipate that adding additional transparency to the patent system will help tackle the continuing patent quality crisis, which is impeding inventors, entrepreneurs and companies of all sizes.”
The study noted that although IBM still tops the list, the scales of patent-quantity supremacy may be shifting away from corporate America in favour 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% of US patents granted to companies compared to 50% in 2007. In addition, the US holds only four–less than half–of the top 10 slots, down from five in 2007. American firms hold only 12 positions in the top 35, which collectively generated 26% of all the utility patents granted in 2008.
In comparison, Japanese companies hold five of the top 10 slots and 14 of the top 35. Although America is still the leading single country in total new patents for 2008, Japan trails second with 23%; Germany is third with 6%; South Korea fourth with 5%; and Taiwan fifth with 4%.
Samsung continues to hold the number 2 slot with 3,515 patents, up 29% over 2007; followed by Canon at number 3, with 2,114; Microsoft comes in at number 4 and Intel at number 5. Other notable movers in the top 35 include Broadcom and Cisco, both up 21% over 2007; Hon Hai of Taiwan, up 63% and new to the top 35; Fujifilm, up 31%; and LG Philips LCD, up 25%.
“[It is] clear is that many of the world’s largest companies are placing a higher priority on protecting their intellectual property,” said Darlene Slaughter, general manager of IFI Patent Intelligence. “This trend is occurring both in the US and abroad especially in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Germany and other countries in Europe. Securing patents may be even more important in a down economy, since it gives patent-holders an edge over their competitors.”
