Ford Cracks Top 10 on 2018 Top 50 U.S. Patent Recipients List
Innovation is the name of the game when it comes to staying atop the ever-changing automotive industry. In 2018, Ford Motor Company innovated more than any other company in the business, making the top 10 on the 2018 Top 50 U.S. Patent Recipients list. Ford received 2,123 patents last year, falling just 37 patents shy of Apple and only ranking below tech giants like IBM, Samsung, Canon, Intel, LG, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, Microsoft, and Qualcomm.
Perhaps most impressively, Ford received 53 more patents than Google and 88 more than Amazon. Ford ranked three spots ahead of Toyota, which received 1,959 patents; nine spots ahead of Hyundai, which received 1,369 patents; and a full 17 spots and 1,077 patents ahead of No. 27 General Motors and its 1,046 patents.
Feast Your Eyes: What you may be able to expect when the new Bronco debuts
Ford was the only company in the top 10 to boast double-digit year-over-year increases in the number of patents received. Ford’s patent total was up 14 percent from the 1,868 patents it received in 2017 and more than triple its 2013 total of 707 patents granted.
“After many years of growth, we’re seeing a decline in U.S. patent grants for 2018,” said Mike Baycroft, CEO, IFI CLAIMS Patent Services, who released the report in conjunction with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. “We expect that to be temporary because applications are up from last year. Also notable is China’s continued growth, which is indeed impressive.”
Overall, the USPTO issued 308,853 utility grants in 2018, which was down 3.5 percent from 2017. By comparison, 2017’s patent numbers were up 5.2 percent. Ford ranked 15th overall in 2017.
Ford’s patents include those relating to autonomous vehicle development and commercialization. In 2018, Ford launched an initiative with Walmart to determine the commercial viability of self-driving vehicles ahead of a targeted 2021 rollout.
More Ford News: What makes the 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor even fiercer than ever?
News Source: IFI CLAIMS Patent Services
The News Wheel is a digital auto magazine providing readers with a fresh perspective on the latest car news. We’re located in the heart of America (Dayton, Ohio) and our goal is to deliver an entertaining and informative perspective on what’s trending in the automotive world. See more articles from The News Wheel.