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Apple patent holdings in 2014 increased by nearly 13%
When Creative Technology sued Apple over the iPod's UI design in 2006, Steve Jobs was incensed. Ultimately, the lawsuit prompted Apple to start taking patents much more seriously. Nowhere was this more apparent than during the design process of the iPhone. As recounted in a 2012 New York Times article: Privately, Mr. Jobs gathered his senior managers. While Apple had long been adept at filing patents, when it came to the new iPhone, "we're going to patent it all," he declared, according to a former executive who, like other former employees, requested anonymity because of confidentiality agreements. "His attitude was that if someone at Apple can dream it up, then we should apply for a patent, because even if we never build it, it's a defensive tool," said Nancy R. Heinen, Apple's general counsel until 2006. And so, Apple's patent portfolio began to rapidly increase in size. Flash forward to 2015 and Apple is a patent filing machine. Though still not the nation's top patent filing company, Apple in 2014 increased its patent count by over 12 percent. The IFI Claims Patent Service reports: A total of 19 U.S.-based companies appear on the 2014 IFI CLAIMS Top 50, up from 18 in 2013 and 17 in 2011 and 2012. Google enters the Top 10 for the first time at position #8-up a remarkable 38.6 percent-trailing #7 Qualcomm by just 21 patents and only 263 patents shy of #5 Microsoft. Apple, at #11, makes impressive gains as it continues its push toward the Top 10 increasing its patent counts by 12.8 percent, just ahead of #12 General Electric and 92 patents short of #10 Panasonic. All told, IBM in 2014 was granted more patents than any other company on the planet, 7534 to be exact, and significantly ahead of Samsung which occupied the number two spot with 4952 patents. Apple, checking in at #11 on the list, was granted 2003 patents. The full list of patent-crazed companies can be viewed in its entirety over here.
IBM caps two decades as heavyweight champion of the patent world
Thinking about beefing up your IP profile? Try giving IBM a call. For twenty consecutive years, it's been awarded more patents than any other company. According to IFI Claims Patent Services, IBM was issued 6,478 patents in 2012. To put things into perspective, its closest competitor, Samsung, trailed Big Blue by nearly 1,500 patents. No small wonder the company is the tech world's intellectual property broker. Some of the year's biggest patent warriors made the top 50 list too. Both Apple and Google's patent awards grew significantly over previous years, surpassing 2011's numbers by 68 and 170 percent, respectively. The house that T.J. Waston built, on the other hand, grew only a meager 4.8 percent. Still, with patents in health, banking, defense, social networking, cloud computing and beyond, IBM probably has a few years left at the top. Ever onward, IBM. Ever onward.
IBM maintains top spot in global patent rankings, Canon overtakes Microsoft
IBM has been selling off a sizable number of its patents these past few months, but according to a new research report, the company still ended 2011 with the world's largest artillery. For the 19th straight year, IBM has come out on top of IFI Claims Patent Services' annual rankings of the world's top 50 US utility patent holders, with a record 6,180 patents. That's up five percent from 2010, though there are several contenders hot on its heels. Second-place Samsung saw an eight percent spike in its holdings, while Canon overtook Microsoft for third place, on the strength of an eleven percent year-on surge. Qualcomm, meanwhile, was among the biggest gainers, with a full 40 percent increase, along with RIM, which enjoyed 38 percent growth. Perhaps the biggest winner? The continent of Asia, where a full 25 of the top 50 companies are based. More numbers for your enjoyment after the break.
