While overall number of US patents awarded was down last year Canon maintained its standing in the top five spots by being awarded a total of 3,056 patents in 2018.
This sees the Japanese company reinforce its position as a leader in digital imaging solutions, empowering the industry with innovative technology solutions. It marks the 33rd consecutive year that Canon ranks in the top five for US patents awarded and the 14th consecutive year that it was the top recipient of U.S. patents among Japanese companies.
Canon's world leading R&D is boosted by the contributions of its Australian research centre, CISRA. Established in 1990, CiSRA - Canon Information Systems Research Australia - is a world leader in professional business and consumer imaging equipment and information systems. CiSRA's research has resulted in over 240 US patents and 800 patents worldwide for Canon.
New this year in patent analysis, Canon ranks second in ultimate patent ownership. This tabulates the world’s largest current patent holders, which includes parent companies and their subsidiaries. It measures the size of a patent owner’s global portfolio based on the number of active patent families around the world covering a single invention. Canon secured the second spot, outranking IBM, with 34,905 active patent families.
According to Canon US spokesperson Seymour Liebman the secret to the success behind Canon is that it is always reinventing its approach to innovation. “The new patent analysis is further testament to our strong standing among fellow tech giants. Canon looks forward to the future, as we continue to break moulds and reimagine the possible.”