IBM Claims Most Patents Again In 2014

The ranking of top corporate patent recipients remained unchanged in 2014, with IBM once again on top. IBM also became the first company to receive more than 7,000 patents in a year, with a record 7,534. That represents a 10.6 percent increase over 2013. The figures compiled by IFI Claims Patent Services, which cover utility as opposed to design or aesthetic patents, indicated that the number of U.S. patents issued in 2014 increased by 8 percent, to more than 300,00 for the first time. Google increased the number of patents it secured by 39 percent, to 2,566 utility patents, and Apple rose from 11th place to 13th, receiving 2,003 patents.