Huawei helps China overtake Germany in receiving US patents
- Many of the US patents issued to Shenzhen-based Huawei were related to 5G mobile technology
Huawei Technologies broke into the top 10 recipients of US patents last year, according to an analysis of filings with the US Patent and Trademark Office, the latest sign that Chinese companies are aggressive in pursuing America’s lead in global technology.
The Shenzhen-based telecommunications equipment maker’s 2,418 patents, along with 2,177 new patents issued to display maker BOE Technology Group, helped propel China into the rank of fourth-biggest recipient of US patents, behind Japan and South Korea but ahead of Germany for the first time, according to the analysis by Fairview Research’s IFI Claims Patent Services.
“China’s growing rapidly but they’re still way behind the US in terms of patents,” said Larry Cady, a senior analyst with IFI.
International Business Machines Corp (IBM) retained its title of top recipient of US patents for the 27th year, with a record 9,262 patents, far ahead of second-ranked Samsung Electronics and No 3 Canon.
Overall, the US patent office issued 333,530 patents, an all-time high and a 15 per cent jump after a decline in 2018. IFI’s Cady said the increase likely reflects efforts to release a bottleneck over what can qualify for a patent, such as in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI).