Overall rank by patents
#13,612
Across all tracked assignees
USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView US Corporation
PLUG Power Inc.
USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 22 granted patents across 17 technology areas, active 2017–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: Y02E (REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION).
22
Total patents granted
17
CPC technology areas
14.9
Avg claims per patent
+900%
5-year filing velocity
The verdict
PLUG holds 22 US patents across 17 technology areas, rank #13,612 of 50,000 tracked assignees.
- #13,612
- of 50,000 US assignees by volume
- Top 18%
- by Innovation Score (47.7/100)
- 14.9
- avg claims per patent
- +900%
- filing velocity, last 5 yrs
Portfolio overview
PLUG POWER INC. has been granted 22 US utility patents between 2017 and 2025, placing PLUG POWER INC. at rank #13,612 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 17 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 14.9 claims per patent with primary concentration in Y02E (REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION). As a US Corporation, PLUG POWER INC. is one of the more focused assignees in the PatentsView dataset. The composite Innovation Score of 47.7/100 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 20 grants, compared with 2 in the 2015–2019 window, a +900% shift in five-year velocity. An acceleration of this magnitude signals aggressive R&D investment and expanding technical ambition. The US 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. PLUG POWER INC.'s 14.9 average claims per patent sits within the typical range for solid legal coverage without excessive prosecution cost, while concentration in 17 subclasses points to a focused technical program. Combined with portfolio volume, these signals let analysts, investors, and licensing professionals benchmark PLUG POWER INC. against peers pursuing similar technology classes.
How does PLUG 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
- PLUG Power ◀ 22
PLUG POWER INC.
22 patents
What this shows PLUG holds 22 patents, placing it at rank #13,612 overall, well behind the volume leaders but ahead of the tens of thousands of smaller assignees in the dataset.
PLUG's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee
Composite of portfolio volume, filing velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth (0–100)
48 Top 18% higher than 82% 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
USPTO utility patent grants by year · 2017–2025
Grants by year
Teal-shaded recent years (2020–present) versus the 2017–2019 baseline. Full figures in the table below.
View data table
| Year | Patents Granted | Share of Period |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1 | 4.5% |
| 2019 | 1 | 4.5% |
| 2020 | 2 | 9.1% |
| 2021 | 2 | 9.1% |
| 2022 | 2 | 9.1% |
| 2023 | 3 | 13.6% |
| 2024 | 5 | 22.7% |
| 2025 | 6 | 27.3% |
Which technologies does PLUG POWER INC. patent most?
Top 15 of 17 technology areas
Patent Moat Analysis
Portfolio Volume Light
Tech Breadth Focused
Claim Depth Standard
Velocity Accelerating
Frequently Asked Questions
How many patents does PLUG POWER INC. hold?
PLUG POWER INC. holds 22 US granted patents filed between 2017 and 2025, spanning 17 technology areas.
What is PLUG POWER INC.'s Innovation Score?
PLUG POWER INC. has an Innovation Score of 47.7 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).
What technology areas does PLUG POWER INC. focus on?
PLUG POWER INC.'s top technology area is Y02E (REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION) with 15 patents. The company has filed patents in 17 CPC subclasses total.
Is PLUG POWER INC.'s patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?
PLUG POWER INC.'s recent filing velocity is +900% compared to the prior five-year period. This indicates accelerating innovation.
What does claim depth mean for PLUG POWER INC.'s patents?
PLUG POWER INC.'s patents average 14.9 claims each. This falls within the standard range, providing solid legal coverage.
How is the PLUG POWER INC. 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.
Guides to patent portfolio analysis
How to use this portfolio
PLUG's 22 grants land it in the top 18% by Innovation Score, but volume alone doesn't tell you where the strength sits.
- Read that count against the largest US assignees before treating it as dominance - PLUG ranks #13,612 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
- Most of this portfolio concentrates in Y02E - see who else leads that technology area. Y02E leaders
- Check what the four-part Innovation Score actually rewards before comparing it to another company. How the score works
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.
Explore the patent dataset
Y02E technology
PLUG POWER INC.'s primary CPC class, all holders and yearly trends
Top 50 patent holders
See where PLUG POWER INC. 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.
Data sources used on this page
- USPTO PatentsView - the disambiguated bulk patent-grant, assignee, and CPC data this page's figures are derived from. patentsview.org
- Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) - the joint USPTO/EPO classification scheme used to group patents by technology area. cooperativepatentclassification.org
- USPTO Patent Public Search - the official interface to verify the status of any individual patent. ppubs.uspto.gov
