After almost 3 decades, the International Business Machines Corp., popularly known as IBM, lost its top spot in the number of patents registered in the US in 2022 to none other than Samsung. Reportedly, not claiming the most patents in a year shows a shift in the company’s strategy.
Reportedly, Samsung Electronics registered 8,513 utility patents in the US in 2022, which was close to that of the previous year. LG Electronics also saw a 5% increase in patent registrations to 4,580 placing them third on the list. IBM, on the other hand, slipped to the second position with 4,743 patents registered in 2022, which is down by 44% compared to the previous year.
This unexpected turn of events comes after IBM held the top spot as the company with the most patents registered for 29 years, until 2021. However, the significant downfall in patent registration in semiconductors, hardware memory, etc., pushed IBM to second place on the list.
Samsung has been a runner-up for several years in registering most patents
The decline reflects a strategy shift that began in 2020. IBM research head Dario Gil said, “We decided to no longer pursue numeric patent leadership, but remain an intellectual property powerhouse and continue to have one of the strongest portfolios in the world in our priority technologies.”
IBM officials further said that they continue to create huge profits from intellectual property rights, which amounted to about $27 billion in the period from 1996 to 2022. The company is reportedly shifting its focus towards hybrid cloud computing, AI chips, cyber security, and quantum computing.
Until 2021, Samsung trailed IBM by a long shot. Since 2017, it has issued over 8,000 new patents every year, mainly focused on visual display systems and voice communication. But in 2022, it finally overtook IBM and grabbed the top spot on the list. As far as others are concerned, Toyota (3,056 patents) came fourth, Canon (3,046 patents) was placed fifth, and TSMC (3,038 patents) was placed in the sixth spot.
