Top applicants
Top 10 applicants
The list of largest applicants mirrors the dynamic evolution in the electronics sector, with Samsung, an Asian company, topped the ranking, followed by Siemens and BASF. The top ten includes two other European companies: Robert Bosch and Ericsson. Up by 33 places to 10th, ZTE is the first Chinese company to appear on the list.
Top applicants seeking protection with the EPO in 20121
1 Based on European patent applications filed with the EPO
More detailed data as PDF and as Excel sheets
Top 25 applicants per leading field of technology
Please note: The consolidation process used may lead to some discrepancies with the lists in previous years.