Samsung tops U.S. patents as Chinese firms rise
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
Samsung topped the list of most U.S. patent grants for the third straight year, while Huawei and other Chinese companies saw a significant increase in patent awards in 2024, according to new data from IFI Claims.
Why it matters: Patents aren't a direct proxy for innovation, but they are an indicator of which companies are both investing in research and looking to protect their intellectual property.
By the numbers: Chipmaking powerhouse Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) supplanted Qualcomm for the No. 2 spot, with Apple rising three places to claim the No. 4 spot.
- China's Huawei rose six places to No. 5 on the list, thanks to a 47% year-over-year increase in patents granted.
- IBM, once the undisputed patent king, fell another four places to No. 8. The company announced several years ago that it would be more selective in its patent filings.
- Overall, U.S. companies accounted for 56% of the U.S. patents granted, followed by those from Japan, China, South Korea and Germany. Applications by Chinese companies were up 32% from 2023.
Zoom in: Looking at the subject matters of new patent applications, AI-related work appears to be cooling some after years of significant growth.
- "Despite all the market's attention on AI, we saw technologies like machine learning — which underpins artificial intelligence — slope downward," said IFI Claims CEO Ronald Kratz. "But we're not surprised by that. Those were the fast growers that preceded the present AI bonanza and have been on our list in the years leading up to it."
Between the lines: The overall number of patents granted, which had been declining for the past four years, rose 3.8% from calendar year 2023 to 324,043.
- "It's good to see patent grants heading in the right direction again," Kratz said in a statement. "The USPTO has been hiring more examiners to deal with the accumulation, so it looks like that's having a positive effect."
Yes, but: The Patent Office still has a large and growing backlog of applications waiting to be examined. There were 813,000 unexamined applications as of 2024, up from 750,000 from the prior year and around 540,000 before COVID, per IFI.
