Samsung Tops U.S. Patent Rankings for Fourth Consecutive Year

Samsung continues to file patents to protect its innovations across different technology areas. The company has secured the top spot in the 2025 U.S. patent rankings for the fourth consecutive year. This shows its focus on research and development while maintaining an upper hand in the growing tech industry.

Samsung solidifies its dominance in the U.S. patents

According to data from IFI CLAIMS Patent Services, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. obtained 7,054 U.S. patents in 2025. This is an increase of around 11% from from 6,377 grants in 2024. TSMC held the second position with 4,194 patents, while Qualcomm ranked third with 3,749 patents. Both companies also saw an increase in the number of granted patents compared to 2024.

Meanwhile, Chinese tech company Huawei moved to fourth place with 3,052 patents. Apple slipped to sixth position with 2,722 patents (a 12% drop from the previous year). In fifth place, Samsung’s display manufacturing unit, Samsung Display Co. Ltd, secured 2,859 patents in 2025. This is up from 2,596 patents in 2024, an increase of around 10%. You can see the first 10 companies featured in IFI’s 2025 U.S. Top 50 list below.

Speaking of overall patents, U.S. patent applications declined to 9% in 2025 compared to 2024. This is the lowest level since 2019. That said, the number of patents granted remained nearly stable at 323,272, down less than 1% from the previous year (324,064).

“It’s very interesting to see patent applications take such a dive after a long climb upward,” said Lily Iacurci, Marketing Manager, IFI CLAIMS Patent Services. “We will be watching the data to see if a trend develops. Right now, we’re wondering if other companies are quietly adopting patent strategies similar to the one IBM announced a few years ago. Are R&D departments relying more on trade secrets to protect IP? Or is it a lingering impact from COVID?”

Meanwhile, Samsung continues to make some of its patents available to partners and small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) at no cost. Last year, the company opened 253 patents, so others can innovate tech solutions as well.