IBM tops the patent list--again. (Bulletin).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

R & D, February, 2002

The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has listed International Business Machines Corp. (IBM), Armonk, N.Y., as the No. 1 private company receiving patents in 2001. For the ninth consecutive year, IBM received more patents than any other private sector organization. With a record 3,411 issued by the USPTO, this represents nearly a 20% increase over its previous record of 2,886 set in 2000, and makes IBM the first patent holder in history to be granted more than 3,000 US patents in a single year.

IBM topped the next closest company by 75%, a margin of more than 1,450 patents. In fact, IBM's number surpassed the combined total of patents awarded to 12 of the largest US companies in the IT industry.

IBM's R&D priorities continue to position the...

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