Companies with the most patents granted 2020-2021

In 2021, IBM had 8,682 patents assigned to them, ranking first among companies according to how many patents had been assigned to each. IBM has consistently held the first position in patent grants, although notable companies including Samsung Electronics, Canon, and TSMC have also featured highly.

Patents explained

Patents grant exclusionary rights to an invention - a product or process that is a solution to a specific technological problem. They can be seen as an indicator of innovation, to track rates of technological change or progress, or monitor the health of research and development. Where specific patents are linked to businesses, they can occasionally be used as a barometer for judging the current or future direction of a business's interests. Globally, the number of patent grants has continued to grow year-on-year, significantly higher than the 400 thousand patents recorded back in 1990.

US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is the federal agency for granting U.S. patents and registering trademarks. At the cutting edge of technological progress and achievement in the U.S., the USPTO serves to protect new ideas and investments in innovation and creativity. Of the national patent office's globally, the U.S. has led the way in terms of the number of patents in force. This has been supported by policy implementation and a framework developed by the U.S. to protect intellectual property (IP), regarded as being one of the best intellectual property environments worldwide.