IBM Loses Patent Dominance After 29-Year Reign

IBM has consistently been the leading US patent acquirer since 1993, surpassing competitors like Apple and Microsoft. However, in 2022, Samsung, the Korean tech giant, dethroned IBM as the top patent winner, according to Quartz. Samsung received 6,248 patents last year, while IBM obtained 4,398. IFI, the patent data tracking organization, identified two other Asian companies in the third and fourth positions: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. with 3,024 patents and China’s Huawei with 2,836. Canon secured the fifth spot with 2,694 patents. It is worth noting that both Samsung and IBM experienced a significant decrease in the number of patents compared to 2021, when Samsung attained 6,366 and IBM obtained 8,681.

In an article published by Fortune in January, IBM’s Director of Research, Darío Gil, revealed that IBM intentionally relinquished its top spot. Gil explained that as part of the company’s commitment to continuous reinvention, IBM “decided in 2020 that we would no longer pursue the goal of numeric patent leadership.” Addressing the obvious question, Gil stated that the reason for this radical shift was focus. IBM recognized the need to prioritize quality over quantity and redefined its focus as a hybrid cloud and artificial intelligence company. Gil emphasized that IBM aims to concentrate its efforts in these areas.

Gil’s article was published before the AI boom gained full momentum. By April this year, IBM had partnered with Samsung to develop an “AI Scientist,” as mentioned in Science Blog. The tool, called “AI-Descartes,” possesses the ability to reason logically, surpassing the limitations of existing tools like ChatGPT. However, the rise of AI has presented challenges for both companies. IBM’s CEO, Arvind Krishna, acknowledged that AI could potentially replace 30% of the company’s workforce, as reported by Bloomberg. Samsung, on the other hand, has restricted employee use of ChatGPT due to concerns about data leakage and potential compromise of corporate information. (Read more IBM stories.)

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