Each year, the list of 300 patents identifies America’s most innovative intellectual property companies by analyzing patents issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). In 2021, the USPTO issued a total of 327,798 utility patents, down 7% from the previous year. Let’s take a look at which companies created the most patents in 2021. RankCountryCompany / Organization2021 PatentsChange from 2020 1🇺🇸 USInternational Business Machines Corporation8,540-9% 2🇰🇷 South KoreaSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.8,5170% 🇷3Korean% 3🇰🇰 -8% 5🇨🇳 ChinaHuawei Technologies Co. ., Ltd.2,955-7% 6🇺🇸 USIntel Corporation2,835-14% 7🇹🇼 TaiwanTaiwan Semiconductor Mfg. Co. Ltd. -2% 9🇺🇸 USRaytheon Technologies Corporation2.694-16% 10🇯🇵 JapanSony Corporation2.624-9% For 29 consecutive years, IBM has led US companies in the number of patents they receive annually. In 2021, the company received 8,540 patents, a decrease of 9% over the previous year. IBM’s innovations focus on solving major global challenges and cover areas such as sustainable development, climate change and the prevention of future pandemics, as well as initiatives that enable food and energy security. They aim to tackle these problems through a combination of high-performance computers, artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computers. One of IBM’s most notable innovations in 2021 was its new quantum processor called Eagle, which broke the 100 qubit barrier to bring the quantum computer into a new era. This processor has the ability to solve problems that classic computers can not, enabling it to deliver real benefits in a variety of areas, from renewable energy to finance and more.
Samsung: A Close Second Innovator
Samsung Electronics is one of the biggest innovators of the last decade. In 2021, the company received 8,517 patents issued by the USPTO, well behind IBM. The company’s innovative patent innovations take place in various fields, such as virtual and augmented reality (VR / AR), artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI / ML), 5G technologies and autonomous driving.
The field of technology dominates Utility patents
Unsurprisingly, of the top 25 companies with the most patents awarded in 2021, 16 of them belong to the technology sector. However, utility patents are not limited to technology companies. In fact, companies from all walks of life apply for patents every year. Patents are a great asset to companies, as they give them exclusive commercial rights to their inventions and protect them from competition. This is one of the main reasons we see companies receiving thousands of new patents each year.
