Philips Filed Third Largest Number of Patents in 2013 But Some Companies Are Not Happy
The European Patent Office (EPO) has revealed that Philips filed the third largest number of patent applications in Europe in 2013.
According to the organisation, Philips filed 1,839 patent applications, up 59 per cent compared to 2012 when it was ranked as the twelfth largest patent applicant. The ranking includes any global company that has filed a patent in Europe.
The European Patent Office HQ in Munich
More than 30 per cent of Philips’ patent applications were for lighting. Other companies with a lighting division that appear in the top 25 included General Electric, Samsung and LG, although it is not clear what percentages of the patents they filed were for lighting.
Philips isn’t without criticism for the way it enforces its intellectual property. Earlier this month, Lighting Magazine received a letter from a French OEM alleging that the Dutch company’s approach to IP enforcement was ‘aggressive’. The company in question claimed that it had received a letter from Philips warning it that a number of its products infringed Philips’ intellectual property before inviting it to join the Philips Licensing program.
13 Mar