By Choi Sung-jin
The Samsung Group will likely emerge as the company that applied for and registered the most utility patents in the United States this year, pushing aside IBM, industry watchers said.
According to Sqoop, a U.S. data-analysis journalism site, the group's seven subsidiaries, including Samsung Electronics, Samsung Display and Samsung SDI, have registered 7,679 utility patents with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, recording the largest number.
IBM, which has held the top post in the past 22 years, was second with 7,005 registrations, followed by Canon with 3,967. Next were LG (3,616), Google (3,103), Qualcomm (2,782) and Toshiba (2,510). LG's number was also the total registered by its four affiliates, including LG Electronics and LG Display.
Samsung also surpassed IBM in the number of applications, 4,443 to 4,126, followed by LG (2,146), Toshiba (1,979), Google (1,539), GE (1,420) and Qualcomm (1,314). In the application of design patents, Samsung and LG took the top two places with 1,352 and 469, respectively. Chasing them were Microsoft (302) and Apple (184).
Experts attributed Samsung's emergence to its stepped-up efforts in the aftermath of Apple taking the Korean company to court for alleged infringement of the U.S. company's patents. Samsung has recently decided to pay 648 billion won ($548 million) in indemnities to Apple, but has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to reduce the amount.
"Samsung is enhancing patent applications and registrations mainly to defend itself from patent-related offensives from its U.S. competitors," said a U.S. expert. "IT companies' patent registrations are mainly for defensive purposes."
The Samsung Group will likely emerge as the company that applied for and registered the most utility patents in the United States this year, pushing aside IBM, industry watchers said.
According to Sqoop, a U.S. data-analysis journalism site, the group's seven subsidiaries, including Samsung Electronics, Samsung Display and Samsung SDI, have registered 7,679 utility patents with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, recording the largest number.
IBM, which has held the top post in the past 22 years, was second with 7,005 registrations, followed by Canon with 3,967. Next were LG (3,616), Google (3,103), Qualcomm (2,782) and Toshiba (2,510). LG's number was also the total registered by its four affiliates, including LG Electronics and LG Display.
Samsung also surpassed IBM in the number of applications, 4,443 to 4,126, followed by LG (2,146), Toshiba (1,979), Google (1,539), GE (1,420) and Qualcomm (1,314). In the application of design patents, Samsung and LG took the top two places with 1,352 and 469, respectively. Chasing them were Microsoft (302) and Apple (184).
Experts attributed Samsung's emergence to its stepped-up efforts in the aftermath of Apple taking the Korean company to court for alleged infringement of the U.S. company's patents. Samsung has recently decided to pay 648 billion won ($548 million) in indemnities to Apple, but has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to reduce the amount.
"Samsung is enhancing patent applications and registrations mainly to defend itself from patent-related offensives from its U.S. competitors," said a U.S. expert. "IT companies' patent registrations are mainly for defensive purposes."
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