The 2019 Patent 300™ Report details the top 300 companies, organizations, and universities obtaining patents in the United States. Data from the report shows that nearly 70% of the U.S. patents obtained in 2018 were for electrical, software, or computer-related technologies. The top 10 technology areas, which represent 49% of the 167,164 U.S. patents obtained by Patent 300 companies in 2018, are dominated by electrical technologies.
Chart 1 shows the Semiconductors and Memory technology area ranked highest in 2018. There were 15,153 patents issued for Patent 300 companies in the U.S. Semiconductors and Memory technology covers multiple United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) technology classifications. Included are processes for manufacturing semiconductors and solid-state devices. Also included are processes and apparatus for addressing, accessing and controlling, and forming memory addresses in a computer or digital data processing system.
Chart 1 – Top 10 Technology Areas for Patent 300 (2018 U.S. Patents)
Rank
Patent 300 Technology Area
2018 U.S. Patents
Percentage of Total 2018 U.S. Patents
1
Semiconductors/Memory
15,153
9%
2
Electrical Circuits and Systems
13,215
8%
3
Multiplex and VoIP
9,875
6%
4
Optics
9,003
5%
5
Printing/Measuring and Testing
8,641
5%
6
Thermal & Combustion Technology, Motive & Fluid Power Systems
7,017
4%
7
Selective Visual Display Systems
4,855
3%
8
Telecommunications: Analog Radio Telephone; Satellite and Power Control; Transceivers, Measuring and Testing; Bluetooth; Receivers and Transmitters; Equipment Details
4,761
3%
9
Computer Networks
4,544
3%
10
Cryptography and Security
4,311
3%
The top 20 companies in the Semiconductors and Memory area, shown in Chart 2, include Taiwan Semiconductor (#1), Samsung (#2), IBM (#3), Micron (#4), and others. Taiwan Semiconductor tops the list having obtained 1,972 U.S. patents, up slightly from 2017. Samsung had 1,522 U.S. patents, down nearly 15% from 2017. IBM, at 1,318, was up slightly from 2017. The top 20 companies represent a cross-section of the technology sector. Included are chip makers, device makers, and various electronics companies.
Chart 2 – Top 20 Companies by U.S. Patents in Semiconductors and Memory
Patent 300 Company Name
Patent 300 Rank in Semiconductors and Memory
Semiconductor and Memory Patents 2018
% of Company’s 2018 U.S. Patents
Semiconductor and Memory Patents 2017
Change from 2017 Patents
Taiwan Semiconductor
1
1972
79%
1893
4%
Samsung
2
1522
19%
1744
-15%
IBM
3
1318
14%
1271
4%
Micron
4
645
69%
556
14%
Mubadala Investment
5
593
72%
687
-16%
Semiconductor Energy Lab
6
478
55%
587
-23%
SK Hynix
7
468
58%
652
-39%
Toshiba Memory
8
419
60%
468
-12%
Infineon
9
392
45%
505
-29%
BOE
10
387
24%
451
-17%
Intel
11
377
11%
481
-28%
Renesas
12
320
55%
365
-14%
United Microelectronics
13
318
93%
326
-3%
STMicroelectronics
14
249
35%
228
8%
TCL
15
230
24%
167
27%
LG Display
16
224
33%
216
4%
Western Digital
17
215
29%
330
-53%
Sony
18
197
9%
184
7%
Texas Instruments
19
178
22%
212
-19%
Fuji Electric
20
176
52%
128
27%
For more detailed information about this technology area, or any other data related to the 2019 Patent 300™ Report, please visit harrityllp.com/patent300/ or contact Rocky Berndsen directly via email at rberndsen@harrityllp.com.
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