Each year, patent activity offers a window into corporate strategy, R&D investment, and innovation pipelines. Some companies ramp up their filing and prosecution efforts, signaling growth and technological leadership. Others pull back, driven by strategic repositioning or due to broader headwinds.

Patent activity saw an uptick in 2024, with the number of patents issued by the USPTO growing from 348,114 in 2023 to 373,516 in 2024, reflecting renewed innovation momentum across multiple sectors and a growing share of foreign applicants contributing to U.S. patent activity (see Patexia Patent Insight 11 for more).

Using proprietary data from Patexia’s Patent Intelligence 2025 report, this article highlights the companies that experienced the most significant year-over-year changes in patents granted by the USPTO, from those with substantial growth to those with notable declines in 2024.

Companies with the Largest Drop in Patents Issued

While overall patent issuance increased in 2024, some major players saw a significant decline in their output. As shown in the chart below, the five companies with the largest year-over-year drops in granted patents were IBM, Kia Motors America, Canon Inc., Qualcomm Technologies Inc., and Meta Platforms Inc., each recording fewer patents issued compared to 2023.

The decline in patent output among these companies reflects a mix of strategic realignment, industry maturity, and shifting innovation priorities. IBM, for instance, after three decades leading the list of companies with the most issued patents, has seen a gradual pullback in filings over the past several years as it transitions from hardware-heavy R&D to enterprise software and AI services, as well as is taking a more selective approach to patenting. Meta Platforms has also been reprioritizing its resources, investing in AI infrastructure and mixed-reality platforms, which may still be in early development stages and not yet reflected in granted patents.

Meanwhile, Kia Motors America may be adjusting its U.S. patenting strategy amid the global transition to electric vehicles. Furthermore, the 2024 automotive sector saw a noticeable decline, with global patent filings dropping by ~24%, with grants falling by around 11% across the industry. Kia, as part of this trend, likely mirror‑imaged this broader cooldown.

The specific reasons behind the drop in patent output for Canon and Qualcomm are not entirely clear, but both companies continue to rank among the top patent recipients in 2024, placing 5th and 8th, respectively, in our report.

Companies with the Largest Increase in Patents Issued

While some companies saw their patent output decline, others aligned with, or even outpaced, the broader upward trend in 2024, significantly increasing the number of patents granted by the USPTO. The chart below highlights the five companies with the largest year-over-year growth, reflecting a surge in innovation activity, accelerated R&D efforts, or more assertive IP strategies.

Huawei experienced a significant 43.67% increase in U.S. patent grants in 2024, securing 3,349 patents and ranking 9th among all companies overall. This reflects Huawei's intensified focus on 5G infrastructure, telecommunications, and IoT technologies, areas where it has been actively expanding its R&D efforts. Despite geopolitical challenges, Huawei's commitment to innovation and intellectual property protection has been evident.

LG Electronics also saw a rise in patent activity in 2024, followed by a record ₩4.76 trillion (approx. $3.3 billion) investment in R&D, the largest in the company's history. This growth reflects LG’s strategic focus on future growth engines such as AI-powered home appliances, automotive electronics, and HVAC technologies. The company's regulatory filings show continued expansion of its global patent portfolio, with over 69,000 overseas patents as of year-end.

Samsung kept its position as the leading U.S. patent holder, with 10,397 patents granted in 2024, marking a 9.38% increase from the previous year. In same time, they ramped up its R&D spending to a record ₩35 trillion (~ $24.1 billion), a 23.5% increase from 2023, which fueled innovation across semiconductors, AI, high-performance memory, and server technologies.

TCL has consistently increased the R&D spending, investing over ¥60 billion (~$8.3 billion) from 2018 to 2023, and over ¥10 billion in 2023 alone, with a team of more than 20,000 researchers and over 11,000 R&D professionals. This scale of investment naturally led to more patentable inventions across multiple domains.

Apple’s increase in U.S. patent grants in 2024 reflects a strategic alignment between its R&D investments and its focus on emerging technologies such as 5G, AR/MR, and computational photography.

The table below summarizes the companies with the most significant patent growth and decline, showing the number of patents granted in 2023 and 2024, along with the absolute and percentage changes over this two-year period.

Company	Difference	2024 Patents	2023 Patents	Change
Huawei Technologies	1,018	3,349	2,331	43.67%
LG Electronics	934	5,384	4,450	20.99%
Samsung Electronics	892	10,397	9,505	9.38%
TCL Corporation	619	1,146	527	117.46%
Apple Inc.	587	3,501	2,914	20.14%
Meta Platforms, Inc.	-454	504	958	-47.39%
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.	-481	3,435	3,916	-12.28%
Canon Inc.	-571	2,716	3,287	-17.37%
Kia Motors America	-572	186	758	-75.46%
International Business Machines	-1,196	2,768	3,964	-30.17%

Our full Patent Intelligence Report goes further, offering high-level statistics that evaluate and analyze the activity of foreign countries, patent types, technology centers, filing and issuance trends, and more. In addition, it is accompanied by an Excel sheet containing detailed rankings and metrics for the top 2,000 attorneys, law firms, and companies. We have also included a dedicated section reviewing significant lateral moves that occurred during 2024 and early 2025.

Stay tuned as in the coming weeks, we will expand the report’s coverage to feature the top growing and declining law firms.