A new report issued today from IFI CLAIMS Patent Services reveals that there was a 13 percent gain in patents issued by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in 2012, up to a record 253,155 utility patents.
The report also identifies the Top-50 U.S.Patent Assignees for 2012 and the leader should come as no surprise. For the 20th consecutive year, IBM leads the list. IBM’s patent tally rose by 5 percent in 2012, giving Big Blue 6,478 patents.
In contrast, Google came in 21st just a mere 15 patents ahead of Apple, which landed the number 22 spot on the Top US patent list. Both Google and Apple dramatically increased their patent holdings during 2012. According to the report, Google’s 2012 patents increased by 170 percent over 2011, while Apple’s rose by 68 percent.
Read the full story at Datamation:
IBM Tops U.S Patent Office Record Year
Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at InternetNews.com, the news service of the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.
