[The Era of Intellectual Property Surplus] Samsung Patents Double in 5 Years... Semiconductor Experts Massively Positioned at KIPO

③ Samsung Electronics Doubled Patent Applications Over 5 Years

Samsung Electronics has doubled its number of patent applications over the past five years. The company holds more than 35,000 patents. Samsung is also ranked second in the world for international patent (PCT) applications. This aggressive push for patent filings is a result of designating advanced industries such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI) as future growth engines and securing technological competitiveness.

According to the recent five-year patent application status compiled by the Korean Intellectual Property Office on the 6th, Samsung Electronics filed 11,417 patent applications last year, doubling the 5,765 applications in 2018. Samsung has been the top domestic company in patent filings for three consecutive years since 2020. LG Electronics ranked second last year with 4,723 patent applications. Following are LG Energy Solution (3,384), Samsung Display (3,145), Hyundai Motor Company (2,983), Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (2,145), LG Chem (1,623), LG Display (1,513), Hyundai Mobis (1,322), and Korea Electric Power Corporation (1,089).

Among the top 10 patent applicants, more than half?six companies?are subsidiaries of Samsung or LG. This indicates that large conglomerates led patent filings last year. In fact, the total number of domestic patent applications last year was 237,000, a 0.2% decrease from the previous year. However, patent applications by large companies led by Samsung and LG increased by 9.3% to 44,114.

Notably, the growth rate of semiconductor patents approached 20%, making it the largest share among technology fields. This is interpreted as a result of strategic intellectual property management by Korean companies to secure supply chains in advanced and core industries such as semiconductors and digital communications amid the broader US-China technological hegemony competition.

PCT applications also have a significant share by large companies. PCT is a multilateral treaty enacted to unify and simplify the overseas patent application process. Last year, Korea's total PCT applications reached 21,916, a 6.8% increase from the previous year, with large companies accounting for more than half at 10,407 applications. The growth rate of 15.6% is the highest among PCT applicants. By country ranking, Korea has been ranked 4th in the world for three consecutive years.

In terms of PCT applicant rankings, Samsung Electronics is second in the world with 4,387 applications, following Huawei (7,689). Samsung recorded a 44.3% increase in PCT applications last year, the highest growth rate among the top 10 companies. Among the global top 10 companies, two Korean companies, Samsung Electronics (2nd) and LG Electronics (9th), are included.

As patent applications in advanced industries including semiconductors surge, the Korean Intellectual Property Office is also responding accordingly. Recently, the office assigned 30 highly skilled semiconductor experts as patent examiners. These experts have an average work experience of 23 years and 9 months in the semiconductor field, with 83% holding master's or doctoral degrees, making them well-versed in the latest technological trends. The Korean Intellectual Property Office plans to hire additional specialized patent examiners in the semiconductor field in the second half of this year to ensure prompt and accurate examination of semiconductor patents.