Semiconductors and Memory Ranks as the #1 Technology Area in the 2019 Patent 300™ Report

By Rocky Berndsen

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.