Apple received fewer United States patents in 2025, marking a clear shift for one of the world’s most watched technology companies. New data shows Apple was granted 2,722 patents during the year, down from 3,082 in 2024. The drop pushed Apple to sixth place in the annual ranking of top patent holders published by IFI. This is despite the continued investments that Apple is making in fields like AI, semiconductors, and software. The data also point to a broader slowdown in patent activity across the United States.
IFI reported that the total number of U.S. patents granted in 2025 reached 323,272. This figure was slightly lower than the previous year, with a decline of less than 1%. Patent applications fell more clearly. Applications dropped by 9% to 393,344. Although granted patent numbers have stayed mostly steady against recent years, this data points to generally weaker filing activity. Furthermore, following the drop in 2019, this was the lowest total number of patent filings. Experts continue to look at these trends for future signals about innovation.
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This decline was traced in a number of key technology fields, including data processing and transmission. Other big U.S. companies also saw changes in the rankings. Google slipped down, while Nvidia did not receive enough patents to make the top 50. The slowdown was partly due to a backlog at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which is still working through more than 1.2 million pending applications. While U.S. companies received the most patents overall, their total fell by more than 5%. Meanwhile, companies from several Asian countries increased their patent numbers.
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Samsung remained in first place for the fourth year in a row, with 7,054 patents, followed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company with 4,194, and Qualcomm with 3,749. Apple’s fall contrasted with gains by other companies such as Dell and Toyota, which rose in the rankings thanks to patents in computing, energy storage, and vehicle systems.
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Analysts say the numbers show that companies are being careful as costs go up and patent approvals take longer. They expect the number of applications to go up again once delays get shorter and companies adjust to market changes. Unlike Apple, some other companies did better. Dell moved up eight spots, and Toyota rose six places.