Invention runs in the family. At least that’s how we see it each year here at IFI CLAIMS when it comes to our annual Global 250, which ranks the world’s largest patent holders, determined by number of active patent families. Our list, built from IFI’s proprietary Ultimate Owner methodology, draws from our unique know-how of patent data and how patents stack up within a corporate genealogy and form a family tree of sorts.
What is a patent family exactly? It’s a set of documents filed around the world that correspond to a single invention. And why is the notion of an active patent family important to understand? For one, patent protection around the globe—and not just in a company’s headquartered country—is a strong market indicator for potential widespread demand. As for why we stick with only “active” families? Expired patents are open to any market player that wishes to exploit the technology. Active patent portfolios guardrail exclusivity in a technology area and allow the patent owner special rights in the market for a limited period of time (about 20 years, as a rule of thumb).
Below are this year’s takeaways:
Asia Major
No fewer than seven of IFI’s ten global chart-toppers hail from China (not to mention four of the top five). State Grid, with more than 147,000 active patent families, sits atop the list, followed by Chinese Academy of Sciences and South Korea’s Samsung, the only company not from China in the top five. Japan is the only other country with entities that hold top spots: Canon appears in ninth place, while Toyota comes in tenth. The first European company to materialize on the Global 250 is Bosch, at number 22. What about U.S. companies? Those are further down the line. IBM makes the first showing at number 25, followed by Qualcomm at 31 and then Microsoft at 35. In other words, Asia rules this ranking.
Companies and their Countries of Origin
Chinese entities hold most of the top positions in IFI’s Global 250. But China is also the top-ranking country when measured by the number of companies (74) within its borders maintaining active patent families, taking almost 30% of the patent pie. Japan, meanwhile, doesn’t trail far behind; the country boasts 71 corporations, a 28% stake. Behind Japan is the U.S., with 47, almost 19% and then Germany (12) at nearly 5%. France (10) takes up 4% of the pie. Other countries capture just slivers of the global patent family universe when quantified by companies headquartered there.
Patent Family Homes
Tallying the data by the absolute number of active patent families, companies headquartered in China also take the top spot. The country claims the lion’s share of families around the globe with nearly 43% of the whole. Japan controls more than 24%, while the U.S. holds just about 14%.
Bringing Patents Up to Code: The Technologies of the Top Five
Harnessing the power of patent data requires a basic understanding of the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) codes—a hierarchical system that categorizes and organizes inventions. Patent examiners assign CPC codes to every patent filing. These codes might draw from several technological areas, or just a few. Either way, evaluating these classifications is a vital step in analyzing highly inventive companies because the codes contain clues regarding the types of novelties that companies are pursuing in the market. For the uppermost entities in the Global 250, we delved into the codes covered in patent documents worldwide for calendar year 2025. Below are the technologies that companies with the highest number of active patent families are concentrating on.
Tech Area Codes for the Top Five
Samsung, in third position on the Global 250, has products running the gamut—from refrigerators and laundry appliances to flat-screen televisions and smartphones. The bedrock technologies supporting its patents and products? Sure, pictorial communication is a big one for the company, as seen in the following patent application for a projection device and method. Even bigger though are technologies around electrical digital data processing and wireless communications, both of which are on display in this patent application published last year for a word generation method, device, storage and computer program invention, as well as this one for a wireless communication system with a mobile switching device. Both patents are still pending.
Outside of Samsung, notice how prominent greenhouse gas reduction innovations are with the other four companies among the top five. This Midea draught fan patent, granted last year, uses a climate change mitigation technology code. So does this energy-reducing, anti-corrosion device for a petroleum pipeline patent, granted last year, from China Petrochemical. Clearly, shielding nature is important to sustaining global businesses.
Zooming In on the U.S. and Europe
Once again, Asia is the dominant region on IFI’s Global 250, and we don’t expect that to change anytime in the foreseeable future. Even though American and European companies appear much further down on the list, we thought it worthwhile to delve into their standings and technologies, as many of the companies are some of the most valuable and highly traded in the world. IBM (25), Qualcomm (31) and Microsoft (35) are the highest-ranking U.S. companies, quantified by active patent families. As far as the top technologies for U.S. companies in aggregate, wireless communication comes in first, followed by electric digital data processing and transmission of digital information. Qualcomm retains the highest number of patents in both wireless communications and transmission of digital data with 15,271 and 11,317 respectively. Apple and Intel come in second and third in those technologies but still trail far behind the San Diego-based tech company.
Electric digital data processing, the second most-cited technology in the U.S., is the most prominent patent code in Europe. Health diagnosis, surgery and identification is also highly used among European companies in the Global 250. Bosch (22), Siemens (36), and Porsche (40) are the companies with the highest standing in the region, but German software company SAP (144) has the most patent documents in the electric digital data processing area, followed by Siemens. As for the health diagnosis area, Philips, a Dutch multinational, holds the most patents. Here is a recently granted one for an advanced imaging system that assesses vascular disease. Bosch patents lead in computing arrangements based on specific computational models. One example: this computer system granted last year for factual knowledge retrieval.
Patents in Asia
When looking at the most referenced patent technologies across the Asian countries with the most patent families, the lists appear almost as mirror images of each other. Japan, China, and South Korea each have electric digital data processing as their number one technology code. Wireless communications and reduction of greenhouse gases also appear among all the top five. Transmission of digital information shows up in both China’s and South Korea’s uppermost tech codes.
Not surprisingly, Samsung carries the leading position in each of the five top technologies in South Korea. This measurement system used in wireless communications cites three of those codes. Memory chip maker SK Hynix, which began trading in the U.S. this past July on the Nasdaq, makes a showing in three of the five foremost technologies. Here is one of the company’s recent patents for a heat management circuit for cooling semiconductors.
Meanwhile, Japan’s main technology is electric data digital processing and NEC maintains the most patents here. The IT, telecom, and biometric company filed this patent, which cites the code for an information processing apparatus and system.
This analysis was produced in partnership with IALE Tecnología.
Ranking the largest patent portfolios in the world
Global 250
The Global 250 ranks the world’s largest active patent holders by analyzing cumulative holdings of parent companies and their subsidiaries, offering a complete annual snapshot.