Overall rank by patents
#31,690
Across all tracked assignees
USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 8 granted patents across 10 technology areas, active 2016–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: A23C (DAIRY PRODUCTS, e.g. MILK, BUTTER OR CHEESE; MILK OR CHEESE SUBSTITUTES; MAKING OR TREATMENT THEREOF).
The verdict
Fonterra holds 8 US patents across 10 technology areas, rank #31,690 of 50,000 tracked assignees.
Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited has been granted 8 US utility patents between 2016 and 2025, placing Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited at rank #31,690 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 10 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 18.5 claims per patent with primary concentration in A23C (DAIRY PRODUCTS, e.g. MILK, BUTTER OR CHEESE; MILK OR CHEESE SUBSTITUTES; MAKING OR TREATMENT THEREOF). As a Foreign Corporation, Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited is one of the more focused assignees in the PatentsView dataset. By volume, Fonterra sits between Focused Technology Solutions, Inc. (8 patents, rank #31,686) and Foresite Healthcare, Llc (8 patents, rank #31,694) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. The composite Innovation Score of 32.1/100 blends portfolio volume, filing velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth into a single comparable measure drawn directly from USPTO PatentsView records.
Filing cadence tells the strategic story. Between 2020 and 2025 the company received 6 grants, compared with 2 in the 2015–2019 window, a +200% shift in five-year velocity. An acceleration of this magnitude signals aggressive R&D investment and expanding technical ambition. The Foreign Corporation classification further shapes interpretation, since corporate, government, and individual filers pursue patents for materially different reasons.
Claim depth and technology breadth together indicate competitive posture. Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited's 18.5 average claims per patent sits within the typical range for solid legal coverage without excessive prosecution cost, while concentration in 10 subclasses points to a focused technical program. Combined with portfolio volume, these signals let analysts, investors, and licensing professionals benchmark Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited against peers pursuing similar technology classes.
Granted US patents 2015–2025 versus its nearest-ranked assignees by volume, this company marked ◀
Focused Technology Solutions, Inc.
8 patents
Fondazione Telethon ETS
8 patents
Fontaine Engineering und Maschinen GmbH
8 patents
Fontaine Modification Company
8 patents
Food & Beverage Innovations, LLC
8 patents
Food Cycle Science Corporation
8 patents
Forelux Inc.
8 patents
Foresite Healthcare, LLC
8 patents
Fonterra Co-Operative Group Limited
8 patents
What this shows Fonterra holds 8 patents at rank #31,690, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.
By rank, the assignees closest to #31,690 in granted patent volume.
Other assignees with the most granted patents in Fonterra's primary technology class.
Fonterra's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee
Composite of portfolio volume, filing velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth (0–100)
32 Top 60% higher than 40% of 50,000 US assignees
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US assignees. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source USPTO PatentsView, PlainPatent Innovation Score · 2015–2025
Teal-shaded recent years (2020–present) versus the 2016–2019 baseline. Full figures in the table below.
| Year | Patents Granted | Share of Period |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 | 25.0% |
| 2020 | 1 | 12.5% |
| 2021 | 2 | 25.0% |
| 2024 | 1 | 12.5% |
| 2025 | 2 | 25.0% |
Top 10 of 10 technology areas
Overall rank by patents
#31,690
Across all tracked assignees
32.1 out of 100
How to use this portfolio
Fonterra's 8 grants land it in the top 60% by Innovation Score, but volume alone doesn't tell you where the strength sits.
Patent counts and the Innovation Score measure patenting activity, not commercial success or the legal strength of any patent. Many patents are filed defensively. Verify the status of an individual patent against official USPTO records.
Every figure on PlainPatent is rendered directly from USPTO source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on USPTO source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2026.