Patents: US Patent Filings

A table of the top 50 US patent filings for 2009 appears in a press release by Kivett & Co, Communications based on data analysed by IFI Patent Intelligence. Top of the list is IBM with 4,914 patent applications followed by Samsung (3,611), Microsoft (2,906), Canon (2,206) and Panasonic (1,829).

The presence of a Korean company as number 2 followed by Japanese companies in 4th and 5th slots has been the focus of attention in the USA. According to the press release 51% of all applications were made from overseas: 23% from Japan, 5.6% from South Korea and Germany 5.2%. Sadly there were no British applicants in the top 50 and the top European applicant was Siemens of Germany with 716 applications.

The press release notes some American successes: GM up by 68% since last year and Cisco, Boeing and Xerox by 30%, 26% and 18% respectively.

See also Steve LeVine's article in Business Week: "IBM may not be the Patent King after all".

For a table of patent grants for the UK for 2007 and 2008 see the IPO's Facts and Figures for 2008.

See also my article "Korea: an IP Giant" which I published on 10 Jan.