全球領先的專利數據庫提供商IFI日前公布的數據顯示:2020年,IBM以9130項專利繼續穩居專利排行榜第一名,緊隨其后的依次是三星電子、佳能和微軟,蘋果和英特爾分別排在第八位和第五位。
雖然2020年的專利授權量較2019年創紀錄的354,428項略有下降,但已公布專利申請數量呈上升趨勢,這表明知識產權仍然是當今社會的熱點。似乎新冠疫情也并未立刻對專利申請造成影響,然而,現在下定論還為時尚早,因為新的專利申請要到18個月后才會公布。
IFI的研究還包括了專利增長最快的十大新技術。其中一些技術在2016至2020年間一直位列前茅,例如:與機器學習和量子計算等熱門領域相關的專利今年就分別排在第四位和第五位,這樣的結果也在人們意料之中。
令人意外的是“電子吸煙裝置”排在了第二位,其中包括了各種各樣的蒸汽電子煙專利,并且大多為煙草巨頭奧馳亞(Altria)和菲利普-莫里斯(Philip Morris)所持有。
從美國專利商標局已分配的專利編號來看,“基于生物模型的計算機系統”是整體上增長最快的技術。去年,IBM在這該領域獲得了2789項專利,幾乎涵蓋了與所謂的神經網絡和其他模擬大腦功能技術相關的各種發明。IBM和微軟此類專利的示例如下:
據IFI介紹,專利增長速度排名第三位的是“被子植物——新開花專利”,由孟山都和其他農業公司主導。
雖然專利往往與創新有關,但也可能引發爭議。近年來,批評人士聲稱,美國專利商標局一直在頒發專利,但這些專利的保護力度過于薄弱,從而讓“專利流氓”有機可乘。這些投機公司除了發起專利侵權訴訟,要求獲得技術許可的公司支付費用外,什么也不做。在過去的十年里,這類專利侵權問題,以及專利有效性相關問題,已經成為最高法院眾多判決的主題。
2020年全球專利排行榜(TOP20):
(財富中文網)
譯者:梁宇
審校:夏林
全球領先的專利數據庫提供商IFI日前公布的數據顯示:2020年,IBM以9130項專利繼續穩居專利排行榜第一名,緊隨其后的依次是三星電子、佳能和微軟,蘋果和英特爾分別排在第八位和第五位。
雖然2020年的專利授權量較2019年創紀錄的354,428項略有下降,但已公布專利申請數量呈上升趨勢,這表明知識產權仍然是當今社會的熱點。似乎新冠疫情也并未立刻對專利申請造成影響,然而,現在下定論還為時尚早,因為新的專利申請要到18個月后才會公布。
IFI的研究還包括了專利增長最快的十大新技術。其中一些技術在2016至2020年間一直位列前茅,例如:與機器學習和量子計算等熱門領域相關的專利今年就分別排在第四位和第五位,這樣的結果也在人們意料之中。
令人意外的是“電子吸煙裝置”排在了第二位,其中包括了各種各樣的蒸汽電子煙專利,并且大多為煙草巨頭奧馳亞(Altria)和菲利普-莫里斯(Philip Morris)所持有。
從美國專利商標局已分配的專利編號來看,“基于生物模型的計算機系統”是整體上增長最快的技術。去年,IBM在這該領域獲得了2789項專利,幾乎涵蓋了與所謂的神經網絡和其他模擬大腦功能技術相關的各種發明。IBM和微軟此類專利的示例如下:
據IFI介紹,專利增長速度排名第三位的是“被子植物——新開花專利”,由孟山都和其他農業公司主導。
雖然專利往往與創新有關,但也可能引發爭議。近年來,批評人士聲稱,美國專利商標局一直在頒發專利,但這些專利的保護力度過于薄弱,從而讓“專利流氓”有機可乘。這些投機公司除了發起專利侵權訴訟,要求獲得技術許可的公司支付費用外,什么也不做。在過去的十年里,這類專利侵權問題,以及專利有效性相關問題,已經成為最高法院眾多判決的主題。
2020年全球專利排行榜(TOP20):
(財富中文網)
譯者:梁宇
審校:夏林
IBM held its longtime place as the top recipient of U.S. patents in 2020 with 9,130 inventions, followed by Samsung, Canon, and Microsoft. Others in the top 10 include Apple and Intel, according to research firm IFI.
While the total number of issued patents dropped slightly from a record of 354,428 in 2019, published patent applications ticked upward, suggesting intellectual property remains as hot a commodity as ever. The pandemic does not appear to have had an immediate effect on patent volume—though it’s too soon to know for sure as new patent applications are only published after 18 months.
IFI’s research also includes a section on the top 10 fastest-growing new technologies that appear in patent applications. Some of the results, which cover 2016 to 2020, are not surprising: Patents related to the buzzy fields of machine learning and quantum computing account for the No. 4 and No. 5 slots, respectively.
More surprising is the second fastest-growing category, “electronic smoking devices,” which comprises a variety of vaping patents, most of which were obtained by tobacco giants Altria and Philip Morris.
The fastest-growing category overall, which is determined by codes assigned by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, is one titled “computer systems based on biological models.” The category, for which IBM received 2,789 patents last year, appears to span a wide variety of inventions related to so-called neural networks and other techniques that imitate brain functions. Two examples of such patents, issued to IBM and Microsoft, are described below:
The third fastest-growing category of patented new technology is titled “angiosperms—new flowering patents” and is dominated by Monsanto and other agricultural firms, according to IFI.
While patents are often associated with innovation, they can also prove controversial. In recent years, critics have claimed the U.S. patent office has been issuing patents that are too weak and can thus fall into the hands of so-called patent trolls—firms that don’t produce anything but make a business of demanding payments from companies that do in order to license their technology. The issue, as well as related ones involving patent validity, has been the subject of numerous Supreme Court decisions in the past decade.
Here is a list of the top 20 patent recipients for 2020, including the number of patents they have received.