US Patent Grants See Growth In 2024, Samsung Holds Top Spot

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 15 (Bernama) -- United States (US) patent grants have rebounded after four years of decline, rising by 3.8 per cent from calendar year 2023 to 324,043, with Samsung retaining top spot for the third year in a row, according to IFI CLAIMS Patent Services.

IFI CLAIMS Patent Services is part of Digital Science, a London-based digital research technology company that compiles and tracks data from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and other patent agencies worldwide. IFI translates its data into an annual US Top 50 and Top 10 Fastest Growing Technologies patent ranking, providing valuable insights into companies’ research and development (R&D) activity.

According to a statement, patent applications in the US also reached a new peak, growing by three per cent from 418,111 in 2023 to 430,625 in 2024, reflecting a robust innovation economy.

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IFI CLAIMS Patent Services chief executive officer, Ronald Kratz said this growth comes after a challenging period marked by a backlog in patent examinations, which the USPTO is working to address by hiring more examiners.

Samsung led the 2024 US Top 50 Ranking with 6,377 patents, a three percent rise from 2023, representing nearly two percent of all patents granted in the US. Contract chip maker TSMC moved up to second place, overtaking Qualcomm, which dropped to third. Apple and Huawei rounded out the top five, while IBM, which held the top spot for 29 consecutive years, fell to eighth place, reflecting its more selective patenting strategy.

Asian firms demonstrated significant progress, with Changxin Memory Technologies leapt 57 places, Tencent advanced 54, and LG Energy climbed 37 spots. Among US tech giants, only Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft made the top 50, while Meta, Nvidia, and Tesla were absent.

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The US companies led the world in patent grants with 143,382 patents, but international firms earned a significant portion (56 per cent), particularly from Japan (43,364), China (28,258), South Korea (24,115), and Germany (14,044).

The fastest-growing technology this year is operating or servicing cells, related to electrolytic methods, led with more than 27 per cent rise from 2020 to 2024.

Three of the top 10 are taken up by technologies that seek to diminish waste such as reclaiming non-ferrous metals with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26.2 per cent, recovery of waste materials (CAGR 26.1 per cent), and destroying solid waste (CAGR 17.7 per cent). Technologies focused on sustainability, such as producing protein from non-traditional sources (CAGR 22.6 per cent), also gained traction.

Patent activity remains a critical measure of corporate R&D productivity, technological efficiency, and intellectual property strategy, revealing trends and competition within industries. For further analysis, IFI CLAIMS Live 1000 provides live data and customisable tools to explore patent activities across multiple jurisdictions.

-- BERNAMA