Total number of software patents

The breadth of patent coverage determines how much a company has invested and patent offices view of. A software patent is a property right, or type of utility patent, that protects any performance of a computer relised by means of a computer program. Over the decade 1994 to 2004 alone, the number of patents in the average market grew by almost 500%, while the number of. After five years of pushing for more patents, microsoft has finally broken into five digits when it comes to number of u. How to patent software video number 1 of two part series on how to patent software. The statistic illustrates the number of patents issued in the united states from fy 1998 to fy 2019. Everything you need to know patent law resources how to patent an idea provisional patent patent pending design patent plant patent utility patent. Ibm was awarded more than 1,800 ai patents, including a patent for a method for teaching ai systems how to understand and deduce the nuances and. Yet software patents have tended to be the focus of controversy and some critics go so far as to argue that software shouldnt be patentable at all. We made an attempt to correct for typographical errors. Software patents cover a wide range of topics and there is therefore important debate about whether such subjectmatter should be excluded from patent protection.

In fy 2019, a total number of 370,434 patents were granted at the u. Ai patents has developed a conceptual patent search engine which allows users to more quickly and efficiently retrieve highly relevant patent information. Patent counts by country, state, and year all patent types december 2015 granted. The system comprises a plurality of enterprise software applications having one or more collector components that collect performance data from the enterprise software applications. The number of us patent documents published flattened out in 2015 after almost a decade of steady growth. To define what patents are softwarerelated, i utilized the same methodology employed by the united states government accountability office in. Software patent examples help software inventors understand what types of software are patentable through the u. But, if your patent attempts to claim the benefits that a customer will enjoy as a result of your software, then your invention will likely be deemed unpatentable. The figure plots the total number of patents in force that are relevant to 27 distinct software product markets between 1980 and 2006.

With respect to the selection of classes and subclasses that comprise software patents, these experts acknowledged. Are more than 90 percent of patents challenged at the ptab. Comparative performance of national science and innovation systems. To begin, however, ill say why patents are a good idea in principle, indeed they may be one of the most valuable inventions in human history. Software patents under united states patent law wikipedia. Software patents are increasingly coming under fire in. A largescale enterprise system is described that includes a flexible and scalable performance monitoring software. However, the number of patent applications filed in 2019 also hit a record high. This article does not attempt to clarify all the questions and uncertainties surrounding software patents but rather provide five tips or suggestions which should be kept in mind when considering patent protection of software related inventions. And is there any recent patenting policy, i was only able to find 1994th patent policy statement.

Given these patents are prevetted by owners, the ptab is being too aggressive in invalidating. For clarity of presentation, the figure omits the 663 firms 76% of the total that had no patents. It was followed by japan with 16% and south korea at 7%. This abolition may seem like a very distant policy possibility, but this paper is concerned with principles, not feasibility the star we should be shooting for, not the design of the rocket. However, there is no official way of identifying software patents and different researchers have devised their own ways of doing so. The harrity analytics team compiled a list of the top patent firms that are ranked based on the total number of u. The chart below shows total patent documents published in the us, which includes both patents and applications. The impressive jump has partially to do with the fact that the number of patents granted in 2018 were down 3. How many patents does oracle corporation own including. The only ways to change this would be a to develop some method by which a program could be automatically checked for patent violations, and this is a definitively unsolved problem in artificial intelligence, or b reduce the total number of software patents to some sub100 number that every programmer could know, and print them in a clear way. We do not have the info needed to know whether the cassandras or the polyannas have the right of it. These rights are granted to patent applicants in exchange for their disclosure of the inventions. Our growing patent portfolio microsoft on the issues. Search issued patents, published patent applications, and prior art references, globally.

This is the 26th year that ibm has dominated in granted patents, but does it matter. The software patent debate is the argument about the extent to which, as a matter of public policy, it should be possible to patent software and computerimplemented inventions. Chinas ip office received the highest number of patent applications in 2018, a record 1. The total number of patents granted while not critically important in assessing the value of the portfolio does play an important role in determining the importance of the portfolio. Software female founded companies with seed funding. Figures 1 and 2 plot the total number of software patents granted and the number of software patents as a percentage of all patents granted, for each of the alternative definitions. Software patents andor software development brooklynworks. This is a list of software patents, which contains notable patents and patent applications involving computer programs also known as a software patent.

The high overall number speaks to the enduring interest in safeguarding ip, while the 15% jump has to do with the fact that patent numbers. We have included only patent firms that have obtained at least 50 utility patents. Reissue patents are excluded from counts in the total patent grants, foreign origin percent share data column for the years 1963 to 1969. Buy the print book check if you have access via personal or institutional login. Over this period the cagr of the number of patents outstanding was 29. Policy debate on software patents has been active for years. Patents, thickets, and the financing of earlystage firms. Chinas ip office received the highest number of patent applications in 2017, a record total of 1. Total us software patent counts by class of invention as of 2015. The statistic illustrates the number of design patents issued in the united states from fy 1997 to fy 2019. Patent counts by country, state, and year all patent.

The short form of my post is that while patents even software patents are a good idea in principle, in practice they have turned into an unmitigated disaster and would be better scrapped. Marshall, texas corporation, has no known products, but the company. The commercial value of software patents in the hightech. Identify ip documentation and bring insights to your work. Top 10 companies that won the most us patents in 2019. How to patent software has become a hot topic and i thought i would make this.

Patent law has changed to address new technologies, and decisions of the united states supreme court and united states court of appeals for the federal circuit cafc beginning in the latter part of the 20th century have sought to clarify the boundary between patenteligible and patent. These devices can have many patented components and features, containing a blend of software, hardware, and design patents. In addition to the drafting of a patent application, there are a number. The us companies accounted for 49% of the us patents granted in 2019.

Neither software nor computer programs are explicitly mentioned in statutory united states patent law. An example method comprises executing a first instruction of a first software entity to receive a first input operand indicating a first key associated with a first memory compartment of a plurality of memory compartments stored in a first memory unit, and execute a cryptographic algorithm in a core of a processor to. How many patents does oracle corporation own including all subsidiaries, like sun microsystems etc. Patents play an important role in commercializing software innovation and supporting technology markets. An empirical look at software patents james bessen research on innovation and boston university school of law visiting researcher robert m. The opponents to software patents have gained more visibility with fewer resources through the years than their propatent opponents. World intellectual property indicators 2017 patents wipo. Now, when we talk about software patents, what exactly do we mean. Many software companies cross license their patents to each other. A performance manager receives the performance data from the collector components and aggregates. Hunt federal reserve bank of philadelphia march 2004 abstract.

This is a list of software patents, which contains notable patents and patent applications. A patent is a set of exclusionary rights granted by a state to a patent holder for a limited period of time, usually 20 years. Overall, however, tumbleweed earns about 10% of its revenue from patent licensing and 90% of its. Software based inventions are still patentable in the united states. China in 2017 refined its method for compiling statistics for patents and industrial designs applications, counting only those for which application fees have been paid. Those numbers include both design and utility patents. Filings for patents, trademarks, industrial designs reach. Intel patents us patent, patent application and patent. Everything you need to know patent law resources utility patent. A software patent is a patent on a piece of software, such as a computer program, libraries, user.