PlainPatent
USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView Foreign Corporation

SKYPE

USPTO PatentsView assignee record — 109 granted patents across 18 technology areas, active 2015–2020. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: H04L (TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION).

Explore the portfolio See the ranking
109
Total patents granted
18
CPC technology areas
22.4
Avg claims per patent
-98%
5-year filing velocity

The verdict

SKYPE holds 109 US patents across 18 technology areas — rank #3,410 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#3,410
of 50,000 US assignees by volume
Top 25%
by Innovation Score (44.7/100)
22.4
avg claims per patent
-98%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

SKYPE has been granted 109 US utility patents between 2015 and 2020, placing SKYPE at rank #3,410 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 18 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 22.4 claims per patent with primary concentration in H04L (TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION). As a Foreign Corporation, SKYPE is one of the more focused assignees in the PatentsView dataset. The composite Innovation Score of 44.7/100 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 2 grants, compared with 107 in the 2015–2019 window — a -98% shift in five-year velocity. A cooling filing rate may reflect portfolio consolidation, shifting priorities, or reduced R&D throughput. 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. SKYPE's 22.4 average claims per patent reflects complex, broadly scoped inventions that are difficult for competitors to design around, while concentration in 18 subclasses points to a focused technical program. Combined with portfolio volume, these signals let analysts, investors, and licensing professionals benchmark SKYPE against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

How does SKYPE compare?

Granted US patents 2015–2025 versus the largest corporate holders — this company marked ◀

patents

What this shows SKYPE holds 109 patents — placing it at rank #3,410 overall, well behind the volume leaders but ahead of the tens of thousands of smaller assignees in the dataset.

Source USPTO PatentsView — granted utility patents As of 2015–2025

SKYPE's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

Composite of portfolio volume, filing velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth (0–100)

45 Top 25% higher than 75% of 50,000 US assignees

0–10: 687 US assignees (1%). Below this entry. 10–20: 2,527 US assignees (5%). Below this entry. 20–30: 13,162 US assignees (26%). Below this entry. 30–40: 15,294 US assignees (31%). Below this entry. 40–50: 11,491 US assignees (23%). This entry sits in this band. 50–60: 5,058 US assignees (10%). Above this entry. 60–70: 1,537 US assignees (3%). Above this entry. 70–80: 234 US assignees (0%). Above this entry. 80–90: 10 US assignees (0%). Above this entry. 90–100: 0 US assignees (0%). Above this entry. This assignee 0 100 every tracked assignee, bucketed by value

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 · 2015–2020

010203040 201520162017201820192020 2
USPTO utility patent grants by year · 2015–2020

Grants by year

Teal-shaded recent years (2020–present) versus the 2015–2019 baseline. Full figures in the table below.

View data table
SKYPE patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year Patents Granted Share of Period
2015 38 34.9%
2016 32 29.4%
2017 20 18.3%
2018 7 6.4%
2019 10 9.2%
2020 2 1.8%

Which technologies does SKYPE patent most?

Top 15 of 18 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Moderate
Tech Breadth Focused
Claim Depth Complex
Velocity Declining

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#3,410

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

44.7 out of 100

View all rankings →

Data Source

USPTO PatentsView — US granted patents 2015–2025

How is Innovation Score calculated?

Frequently Asked Questions

How many patents does SKYPE hold?
SKYPE holds 109 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2020, spanning 18 technology areas.
What is SKYPE's Innovation Score?
SKYPE has an Innovation Score of 44.7 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).
What technology areas does SKYPE focus on?
SKYPE's top technology area is H04L (TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION) with 61 patents. The company has filed patents in 18 CPC subclasses total.
Is SKYPE's patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?
SKYPE's recent filing velocity is -98% compared to the prior five-year period. Filing activity has slowed relative to earlier years.
What does claim depth mean for SKYPE's patents?
SKYPE's patents average 22.4 claims each. This indicates complex, broadly scoped patents that are harder for competitors to design around.
How is the SKYPE 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

How Innovation Score Works

Understand the four dimensions behind the composite score
How to Read Patent Data

Plain-English guide to CPC codes, claims, and metrics
Patent Moat Analysis

How companies use patents as competitive barriers

Explore the patent dataset

H04L technology

SKYPE's primary CPC class — all holders and yearly trends
Top 50 patent holders

See where SKYPE 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

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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