Judging by news years, Apple more than other large companies adds to its patent portfolio. However, the reality is somewhat different. According to analysts, the leader in the number registered last year of patents was IBM, and Apple are not included even in the top 50 companies.
In 2015, the number of patents registered at the European patent office, Apple was in seventh place and Samsung in second. In 2016, the South Korean manufacturer conceded one line of LG, and Apple actually dropped out of the rankings.
The company from Cupertino is located outside the top 50 and European top 10 us rankings. Practically, this means that last year kupertinovtsy registered less than 2100 patents. Although this is not surprising. The iPhone maker has a large catalog of products, and its development is often concentrated in certain areas.
The representatives of the EPO, commenting on the number of registered Apple patents, said that, although it is not the only criterion of the development of technologies, but evidence of less emphasis on importance of intellectual property.
