Berkeley-based IP Checkups recently published its 2014 Annual Report on cleantech patenting trends.  Based on the firm’s proprietary green patent database -  Cleantech PatentEdge™ – the report contains much interesting analysis driven by this powerful data analytics tool.
The major finding of the report is that, after a year of decline in 2013, worldwide patent activity grew last year, rising consistently in each quarter of 2014. Â This is measured by the number of cleantech patent documents published, which typically means a lag time of 18 months from application filing date.
In the United States, the number of published cleantech patent applications grew by 8% from 2013 to 2014, and the number of U.S. patent publications and grants reached a five-year high.
Looking across all cleantech sectors, the report found that U.S. patent activity increased by an average of 13% in 2014, with renewable energy generation being the leading sector. Â Within that sector, solar and biofuels showed the most growth.
The report lists the top twenty worldwide cleantech patent assignees. Â Samsung, Toyota, and Panasonic topped the list, with General Electric and Mitsubishi rounding out the top five.
The patent assignees are broken out by industry sector, and the report provides other useful information, such as an in-depth look at patenting trends in transportation and analysis of cleantech venture capital funding trends. Â Significantly, cleantech VC funding saw a 28% YOY increase from 2013 to 2014.
For more information, visit the Cleantech PatentEdge web site here.
