Overall rank by patents
#35
Across all tracked assignees
USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView Foreign Corporation
NEC CORPORATION
USPTO PatentsView assignee record — 9,672 granted patents across 263 technology areas, active 2015–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: H04L (TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION).
9,672
Total patents granted
263
CPC technology areas
12.9
Avg claims per patent
+31%
5-year filing velocity
Portfolio overview
NEC CORPORATION has been granted 9,672 US utility patents between 2015 and 2025, placing NEC CORPORATION at rank #35 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 263 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 12.9 claims per patent with primary concentration in H04L (TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION). As a Foreign Corporation, NEC CORPORATION is one of the broader-portfolio assignees in the PatentsView dataset. The composite Innovation Score of 71.5/100 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 5,477 grants, compared with 4,195 in the 2015–2019 window — a +31% shift in five-year velocity. Steady filing volume suggests sustained innovation without dramatic pivots. 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. NEC CORPORATION's 12.9 average claims per patent sits within the typical range for solid legal coverage without excessive prosecution cost, while a diversified footprint across 100+ CPC subclasses spreads risk across many technology fronts. Combined with portfolio volume, these signals let analysts, investors, and licensing professionals benchmark NEC CORPORATION against peers pursuing similar technology classes.
How does NEC compare?
Granted US patents 2015–2025 versus the largest corporate holders — this company marked ◀
- Samsung
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
106,890 patents
- International Bus…
International Business Machines Corporation
72,926 patents
- Canon 34,378
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
34,378 patents
- LG 32,607
LG ELECTRONICS INC.
32,607 patents
- Taiwan Semiconduc… 31,041
TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD.
31,041 patents
- Apple 30,560
Apple Inc.
30,560 patents
- Qualcomm Incorpor… 30,354
QUALCOMM Incorporated
30,354 patents
- Intel 27,498
Intel Corporation
27,498 patents
- NEC ◀ 9,672
NEC CORPORATION
9,672 patents
What this shows NEC holds 9,672 patents — placing it at rank #35 overall, well behind the volume leaders but ahead of the tens of thousands of smaller assignees in the dataset.
USPTO utility patent grants by year · 2015–2025
Grants by year
Teal-shaded recent years (2020–present) versus the 2015–2019 baseline. Full figures in the table below.
View data table
| Year | Patents Granted | Share of Period |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 807 | 8.3% |
| 2016 | 900 | 9.3% |
| 2017 | 828 | 8.6% |
| 2018 | 723 | 7.5% |
| 2019 | 937 | 9.7% |
| 2020 | 947 | 9.8% |
| 2021 | 836 | 8.6% |
| 2022 | 926 | 9.6% |
| 2023 | 826 | 8.5% |
| 2024 | 1,111 | 11.5% |
| 2025 | 831 | 8.6% |
Which technologies does NEC CORPORATION patent most?
H04B— TRANSMISSION 1,103
Top 15 of 263 technology areas
Patent Moat Analysis
Portfolio Volume Strong
Tech Breadth Diversified
Claim Depth Standard
Velocity Growing
Frequently Asked Questions
How many patents does NEC CORPORATION hold?
NEC CORPORATION holds 9,672 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2025, spanning 263 technology areas.
What is NEC CORPORATION's Innovation Score?
NEC CORPORATION has an Innovation Score of 71.5 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).
What technology areas does NEC CORPORATION focus on?
NEC CORPORATION's top technology area is H04L (TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION) with 2,668 patents. The company has filed patents in 263 CPC subclasses total.
Is NEC CORPORATION's patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?
NEC CORPORATION's recent filing velocity is +31% compared to the prior five-year period. The company is maintaining or growing its patent output.
What does claim depth mean for NEC CORPORATION's patents?
NEC CORPORATION's patents average 12.9 claims each. This falls within the standard range, providing solid legal coverage.
How is the NEC CORPORATION patent data sourced?
All patent data comes from USPTO PatentsView, a public research dataset maintained by the United States Patent and Trademark Office covering US granted utility patents from 2015 to 2025.
Learn More
Explore the patent dataset
H04L technology
NEC CORPORATION's primary CPC class — all holders and yearly trends
Top 50 patent holders
See where NEC CORPORATION ranks among the largest US patent assignees
All technology classes
Browse every CPC technology area by patent activity
How the score works
The four dimensions behind the Innovation Score
Related
Data sourced from USPTO PatentsView — official U.S. government patent data. See our methodology for computation details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainPatent Editorial
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the USPTO PatentsView database. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
All federal data sources used on this page
- USPTO PatentsView — official U.S. Patent and Trademark Office bulk patent data. patentsview.org
- USPTO Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) — application status and file history. uspto.gov/patents/pair
- USPTO Bulk Data Storage System — comprehensive patent text + claims dataset. bulkdata.uspto.gov
- USPTO CPC Classification — Cooperative Patent Classification scheme for technology categorization. uspto.gov/cpc
- SEC EDGAR — public filings cross-reference for assignee corporate entity matching. sec.gov/edgar
- WIPO PATENTSCOPE — international patent context (related international filings). wipo.int/patentscope
