Apple's Patent Grants Declined in 2025 as Innovation Slows

Apple's U.S. patent enactment declined sharply successful 2025 amid a broader slowdown successful patent filings, according to newly released data from IFI CLAIMS Patent Services.


The information shows that Apple was granted 2,722 U.S. patents successful 2025, down from 3,082 successful 2024, a year-over-year diminution of astir 12% that pushed the institution down 2 positions to sixth spot successful IFI's yearly ranking of the apical 50 recipients of U.S. patent grants. The displacement marks a notable alteration for Apple astatine a clip erstwhile its spending connected artificial intelligence, silicon design, and bundle continues to expand, but it besides reflects a wider contraction successful patent enactment crossed the United States.

Total U.S. patent grants successful 2025 fell to 323,272, a diminution of little than 1% from the erstwhile year, portion U.S. patent applications dropped much steeply, falling 9% to 393,344. IFI noted that the diminution successful applications represents the lowest level since 2019, pursuing a grounds precocious successful 2024. The information is compiled straight from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and forms the ground of IFI's yearly Top 50 and Top 10 Fastest Growing Technologies reports.

The slowdown was disposable crossed halfway exertion areas that typically relationship for a ample stock of U.S. patents, with filings and grants falling successful cardinal categories specified arsenic integer information processing and information transmission. The slowdown was not constricted to Apple, with different large U.S. exertion companies specified arsenic Google besides falling successful the patent rankings successful 2025, portion Nvidia did not person capable U.S. patent grants to spot successful the Top 50 contempt its cardinal relation successful the AI boom.

It besides came arsenic the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office continued to enactment done a backlog of much than 1.2 cardinal applications, which has delayed the gait astatine which patents are issued. While U.S.-based companies inactive received the largest fig of patents overall, their full fell by much than 5% successful 2025, adjacent arsenic companies successful respective Asian countries accrued their patent counts.

Apple's diminution occurred arsenic respective competitors either held dependable oregon accrued their patent output. Samsung retained the apical presumption for the 4th consecutive twelvemonth with 7,054 U.S. patent grants, accounting for much than 2% of each patents issued successful the United States successful 2025. Apple spot supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) ranked 2nd with 4,194 grants, followed by Qualcomm successful 3rd spot with 3,749.

Apple's driblet contrasted with gains by companies specified arsenic Dell and Toyota, which moved up 8 and six places respectively, driven mostly by patents related to computing infrastructure, vigor storage, and conveyance systems. Key areas of probe successful 2025 included AI and artillery technologies.
This article, "Apple's Patent Grants Declined successful 2025 arsenic Innovation Slows" archetypal appeared connected MacRumors.com

Discuss this article successful our forums