CPC technology class · C12
C12P - Fermentation Or Enzyme-using Processes To Synthesise A De…
Fermentation or enzyme-using processes to synthesise a desired chemical compound or composition or to separate optical isomers from a racemic mixture. 13,948 US utility patents granted 2015–2025, with the leading assignees and year-by-year grant trajectory.
- 13,948
- US patents granted
- #4/12
- in C12
- 9.6%
- C12 class share
- -19%
- 5-yr velocity
The verdict
According to USPTO PatentsView, Fermentation Or Enzyme-using Processes To Synthesise A De… ranks #138 of 670 CPC technology areas - 13,948 US patents granted since 2015, with recorded grant volume down 19% over five years.
- #138
- of 670 CPC technology areas
- 13,948
- US patents granted, 2015–2025
- Novozymes A/S
- leading assignee (348)
- -19%
- grant velocity, last 5 yrs
How C12P's grant cadence moved
Between 2020–2024, C12P recorded 5,303 grants versus 6,530 in 2015–2019 (-19% equal-window velocity). Across complete years, output peaked in 2016 at 1,377 grants and bottomed in 2023 at 869 (+58% peak-over-trough). Lead assignee Novozymes A/S holds 2.5% of the class ; the top three share 6.4%.
Leaderboard read
C12P concentration, lead at 2.5%
Novozymes A/S leads this historical grant record at 2.5% of C12P - foreign corporation assignees hold 51% of class grants (4,980 of 9,859). Figures describe granted US utility patents in this CPC subclass, not current investment or legal strength.
- Leader's share
- 2.5%
- Top three share
- 6.4%
- Lead over #2
- 73
348 of 13,948 grants
of the class's recorded grants
more grants than Codexis, Inc.
Where C12P sits inside C12
Among 12 subclasses in C12 (BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; Mutation OR Genetic Engineering), C12P ranks #4 and holds 9.6% of the parent class's 144,620 recorded grants. Sibling chips below are the other subclasses in the same parent class, not the nationwide volume/lead-share peers further down.
Rising assignees active in C12P
Company-wide grant multiples (2022–2024 vs 2019–2021) among assignees with ≥5 patents in this subclass. Growth is company-wide; class patent counts are subclass-specific.
- #1 Locus Solutions Ipco, LLC 35x 0 → 35 company-wide · 11 in C12P
- #2 Chr. Hansen HMO GmbH 17x 0 → 17 company-wide · 15 in C12P
- #3 Enveric Biosciences Canada Inc. 17x 0 → 17 company-wide · 11 in C12P
- #4 Qilu University of Technology 12x 2 → 23 company-wide · 5 in C12P
- #5 Viridos, Inc. 11x 0 → 11 company-wide · 7 in C12P
C12P grants by year, peak 2016 (1,377)
US utility-patent grants per year in C12P, 2015–2025 - recent five years are down 19% versus 2015–2019.
Who leads C12P?
The 12 most active assignees in Fermentation OR Enzyme-using Processes TO Synthesise A Desired Chemical Compound OR Composition OR TO Separate Optical Isomers From A Racemic Mixture - wider bars mean more grants
- Novozymes A/S
Novozymes A/S
348 patents
- Codexis
Codexis, Inc.
275 patents
- Dsm Ip Assets B V
DSM IP Assets B.V.
269 patents
- The Regents of the…
The Regents of the University of California
240 patents
- Cj Cheiljedang
CJ Cheiljedang Corporation
235 patents
- Novozymes
Novozymes, Inc.
178 patents
- Genomatica
Genomatica, Inc.
145 patents
- Jiangnan University
Jiangnan University
143 patents
- Xyleco 139
Xyleco, Inc.
139 patents
- Ajinomoto 124
Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
124 patents
- Danisco Us 116
Danisco US Inc.
116 patents
- President and Fellows… 91
President and Fellows of Harvard College
91 patents
What this shows Novozymes A/S is the most active filer in C12P, holding 348 of the 13,948 patents in this class. Concentration at the top signals how contestable this technology area is for new entrants.
View data table
| Rank | Company | Patents in C12P |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Novozymes A/S | 348 |
| #2 | Codexis, Inc. | 275 |
| #3 | DSM IP Assets B.V. | 269 |
| #4 | The Regents of the University of California | 240 |
| #5 | CJ Cheiljedang Corporation | 235 |
| #6 | Novozymes, Inc. | 178 |
| #7 | Genomatica, Inc. | 145 |
| #8 | Jiangnan University | 143 |
| #9 | Xyleco, Inc. | 139 |
| #10 | Ajinomoto Co., Inc. | 124 |
| #11 | Danisco US Inc. | 116 |
| #12 | President and Fellows of Harvard College | 91 |
| #13 | Cargill, Incorporated | 87 |
| #14 | Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 77 |
| #15 | Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC | 77 |
| #16 | E.I. DU Pont DE Nemours AND Company | 65 |
| #17 | Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation | 63 |
| #18 | Poet Research, Inc. | 59 |
| #19 | Kaneka Corporation | 57 |
| #20 | Evonik Degussa GMBH | 57 |
Footprint here vs. claim strategy
Each dot is a leading C12P assignee, placed by how many patents it holds in this class (horizontal) against its company-wide average claims per patent (vertical) - a read on whether the class is led by broad-but-shallow filers or focused deep-claim players.
Classes near C12P's 13,948-grant footprint
Nationwide nearest neighbors for C12P (#138 of 670 by volume ; lead share 2.5%) - not the C12 parent-class siblings above.
Nearest by grant volume
Questions about C12P
Which company holds the most patents in C12P?
Which C12P assignees grew fastest recently?
How does C12P compare inside parent class C12?
What to do with this data
C12P in context - here's where to go next.
- Novozymes A/S leads C12P with 348 grants in this class. See full portfolio
- C12P ranks #138 of 670 by grant volume among all tracked CPC technology areas. See the ranking
- Inside parent class C12, the largest sibling subclass is C12N with 68,530 grants. Explore C12N
Figures reflect USPTO PatentsView grant data through 2026-05-15; pending applications not yet granted are not counted.
Methodology - C12P figures are USPTO PatentsView granted-utility totals for this subclass (13,948 grants in the tracked window).
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.