By Li Panpan

(JW Insights) May 30 -- Chinese technology behemoth Huawei has consistently filed for the most patents in China over the last five years, despite waning application numbers over the past two years, said IAM, an info source of worldwide intellectual property management, on May 26.

Other companies in China that led the way in patent filings are state-owned utility company State Grid, home appliances maker Gree Electric, components provider BOE Technology, and Oppo, according to IAM.

In 2022, Huawei filed 8,440 applications, while State Grid trailed shortly behind with 8,385 applications. The companies’ applications have been on a downward trend over the last five years, and both seem to show a significant drop-off in 2022.

Huawei’s most prolific industry was electronic communications, as the company filed 56,637 applications in that market between 2018 and 2022, just over 54% of its overall number. State Grid’s most active area was electrical machinery, apparatus, and energy, within which it filed 24,375 patent applications, which is 37% of its total.

Steven Geiszler, Huawei US Chief Intellectual Property Counsel, revealed that the company had earned $1.2 billion in revenue through the patent licensing business as of 2021, said a Reuters report.