Top Ten Patent Recipients for 2003

The Department of Commerce’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has announced the 2003 top 10 private sector patent recipients. Listed below are the 10 corporations receiving the most U.S. patents for inventions in calendar year 2003. For the 11th consecutive year, IBM was number one, receiving 3,415 patents--more than any other private sector organization, and 70% more than the next highest patent holder.

In 2003, the U.S. companies included on the list of top 10 patenting organizations are International Business Machines Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Company (fifth), Micron Technology, Inc. (sixth), and Intel Corporation (seventh). This year marks the first year that Intel Corporation appears on the top 10 list. Intel Corporation increased its number of patents 48 percent over 2002, and Hewlett-Packard Company increased its patent grants 27 percent over its 2002 count.

"The 2003 patent counts show American technological influence continuing to grow," noted Jon Dudas, Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property. "Patents protect intellectual endeavors and encourage technological progress, helping to nurture industries that create jobs for Americans."

Top 10 Private Sector Patent Recipients for 2003:

1. International Business Machines Corporation (3,415 patents)

2. Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (1,992 patents)

3. Hitachi, Ltd (1,893 patents)

4. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd (1,786 patents)

5. Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (1,759 patents)

6. Micron Technology, Inc (1,707 patents)

7. Intel Corporation (1,592 patents)

8. Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V (1,353 patents)

9. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (1,313 patents)

10. Sony Corporation (1,311 patents)

By comparison, the U.S. Government received 879 utility patents for the year, which would rank it 17th among the top patenting organizations for 2003.