USPTO stays busy in 2014, Samsung awarded 4925 patents for the year

IBM, Samsung, and even Google made it onto the top 10 list for patents awarded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). While IBM and Samsung take the top two spots (IBM dominated Samsung with 7534 patents awarded), Google comes in on the leader board at number 8, which is the first time the Mountain View search giant has appeared in the top 10.

The past few years have been a total pain for Samsung when it’s come to patents. In a near-constant state of being bogged down by infringement lawsuits, Samsung may be attempting to prevent such legal actions in the future by dutifully applying for as many patents as it can. Compared to 2013, Samsung’s patent awards increased 5.9% in 2014.

Google’s increase from 2013 to 2014 was 38.6%. One of the reasons behind this increase may have to do with all of the robotics and smart home technologies Google gobbled up in recent years. Not to mention, Google’s brief acquisition of Motorola was a way for them to get their hands on Project Ara. The company’s work on developing Project Ara, a prototype smartphone that utilizes a modular design similar to your home computer, probably comes with a slew of technology that Google needed to get patents for.

As has been the case for the past couple of years, Apple and Facebook did not appear on the list; however, Facebook did have a 120% increase in patents awarded compared to 2013.

Source: IFI CLAIMS

Come comment on this article: USPTO stays busy in 2014, Samsung awarded 4925 patents for the year