Companies With the Strongest Patent Portfolios
Published March 28, 2026 · USPTO patent data
A strong patent portfolio is a competitive moat. Companies with broad, deep, and long-lived patent protection can defend market positions, generate licensing revenue, and deter competitors. We rank companies by Patent Strength Score — a composite that goes beyond raw patent counts.
Top 25 by Patent Strength Score
| Rank | Company | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IBM | 65/100 | B |
| 2 | Samsung | 61/100 | C |
| 3 | Huawei | 56/100 | C |
| 4 | 56/100 | C | |
| 5 | Microsoft | 55/100 | C |
| 6 | Apple | 51/100 | C |
| 7 | Canon | 52/100 | C |
| 8 | Amazon | 52/100 | C |
| 9 | LG | 47/100 | D |
| 10 | General Electric | 51/100 | C |
| 11 | Intel | 49/100 | D |
| 12 | Sony | 46/100 | D |
| 13 | Qualcomm | 51/100 | C |
| 14 | Siemens | 48/100 | D |
| 15 | TSMC | 44/100 | D |
| 16 | Toyota | 50/100 | C |
| 17 | Panasonic | 44/100 | D |
| 18 | Nvidia | 44/100 | D |
| 19 | Philips | 47/100 | D |
| 20 | Broadcom | 46/100 | D |
| 21 | 3M | 45/100 | D |
| 22 | BASF | 44/100 | D |
| 23 | Meta | 45/100 | D |
| 24 | Boeing | 46/100 | D |
| 25 | Ericsson | 43/100 | D |
Beyond Patent Count
Samsung and IBM may lead in raw patent counts, but technology companies like Qualcomm and Apple derive more revenue per patent through aggressive licensing and product integration. Our Patent Strength Score captures this by weighting claims breadth (the scope of protection each patent provides) and technology diversity (how many distinct fields the portfolio covers).
Pharma vs. Tech Portfolios
Pharmaceutical companies typically have smaller patent portfolios than tech companies but each patent protects billions in revenue. A single drug patent for a blockbuster medicine may be worth more than hundreds of incremental tech patents. For the pharmaceutical patent landscape, see our drug patent cliff analysis.
For how patent expiration works, see what happens when a patent expires.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which company has the most patents?
Samsung, IBM, and Canon consistently rank among the top patent holders by raw count. However, patent count alone is misleading — patent quality, claims breadth, and remaining life matter more. Our Patent Strength Score weights these factors.
What is a Patent Strength Score?
The Patent Strength Score is a 0-100 composite measuring portfolio quality: portfolio size (30%), claims breadth (25%), time remaining to expiration (25%), and technology diversity measured by unique CPC classification codes (20%).
Why do companies file patents?
Companies file patents for three primary reasons: protecting products from competitors (defensive), generating licensing revenue (offensive), and deterring litigation (creating a counter-portfolio for cross-licensing negotiations).
About This Data
Patent data from USPTO PatentsView API. See our methodology.