IBM retained its patent crown in 2013, snaring more U.S. patents than any other company for the 21st year in a row. But the big news is Google, which quickened its patent pace and climbed to No. 11 in the rankings.
IBM was awarded 6809 utility patents last year, according to data from IFI Claims Patent Services. That record-setting haul is up 5 percent compared to 2012, when Big Blue earned 6478 patents.
After IBM, Samsung Electronics was the second most prolific patent winner, with 4675 patents received in 2013. Canon placed third with 3825 patents, followed by Sony (3098), Microsoft (2660), Panasonic (2601), Toshiba (2416), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. (2279), Qualcomm (2103), and LG Electronics (1947).
Last year, Google increased its patent count by 60 percent and took home 1851 patents. That was enough to land Google at No. 11 in IFI's rankings, up from No. 21 in 2012. Google first appeared among IFI's top 50 in 2012, when it earned 1151 patents.
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