Huawei Ranks No. 5 in U.S. Patents in Sign of Chinese Growth
Huawei is continuing to move up the list of companies getting the most U.S. patents, according to Bloomberg. And based on a new study of patenting activity, Chinese firms are increasingly responsible for a greater share of the world’s innovation. Huawei received 2,770 U.S. patents last year, putting it at No. 5 behind perennial top patent-getter International Business Machines Corp. according to the study by Fairview Research’s IFI Claims Patent Services.
Huawei’s success in obtaining patents comes even as its networking equipment is shut out of the American market and it’s been cut off from procuring components needed for its phones by the Biden administration. The U.S. government has accused the Shenzhen-based company of being a security threat, charges that Huawei denies.
Huawei jumped from ninth place in part because of declines by other companies as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued 7% fewer patents last year. Samsung Electronics Co., Canon Inc. and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. rounded out the top five patent recipients.
Chinese companies also dominate when considering global patent ownership, according to the analytics firm. Samsung remains the biggest holder of patented inventions globally. But six Chinese entities, including Huawei and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, hold more patents on inventions than IBM, which ranks No. 8 on that list.
“Everywhere you turn, they seem to be establishing themselves, or seeking to establish themselves, as major players,” said IFI Claims Chief Executive Officer Mike Baycroft. “You hear these stories that the Chinese market is going to take over the world. Here, it’s starting to become real.”
Recently, Huawei also ranked second in the 2021 EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard, up from third place in the previous year’s edition. The 2021 EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard is a European Commission publication that ranks the research investment levels of 2,500 companies around the world that comprise 90% of the world’s business-funded R&D. The report is prepared by the EU Joint Research Centre (JRC).
About Huawei
Founded in 1987, Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices. We have more than 197,000 employees, and we operate in more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than three billion people around the world.
Our vision and mission is to bring digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world. To this end, we will drive ubiquitous connectivity and promote equal access to networks; bring cloud and artificial intelligence to all four corners of the earth to provide superior computing power where you need it, when you need it; build digital platforms to help all industries and organizations become more agile, efficient, and dynamic; redefine user experience with AI, making it more personalized for people in all aspects of their life, whether they’re at home, in the office, or on the go.