With 2019 in the books, it's time to look at how the various tech giants fared in the competition to pile up patents.
What's new: When including various subsidiaries, Seattle-based Sqoop found that Samsung edged out perennial top patent-getter IBM for utility patent applications and grants, as well as design patents. LG and Canon also were in the top five.
Why it matters: Looked at individually, patents represent merely a single idea that may or may not come to fruition. Taken in aggregate, though, patent applications and grants are a key measure of the overall strength of a company's intellectual property portfolio.
By the numbers: Here are some other findings...
- Microsoft moved up from the 10th position to sixth.
- Ford entered the top 10 — the only automaker to do so.
- In terms of utility patent applications, Huawei ranked sixth, a sign it's stepping up its IP efforts amid legal and legislative challenges.
Meanwhile, using a somewhat different methodology, IFI Patents put out its own list of 2019 U.S. patent recipients.
- This report places IBM atop the pack, where it has been for the past 27 years.
- IBM had 9,262 patents last year, up 2%, per IFI, followed by Samsung, Canon, Microsoft and Intel.
Go deeper: Federal lawsuit against Gilead puts patent rights on trial
