IBM Retains Top Spot On Patent List.

IndustryWeek (3/1, Jusko) reports, "For the 16th consecutive year, high-tech giant IBM Corp. has nabbed the top spot for the number of patents granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Not only that, but with 4,186 patents granted in 2008, it also became the first organization to break the 4,000 patent barrier, according to IFI Patent Intelligence, which analyzed USPTO data." However, "the U.S. share of patents is slipping," with "U.S. companies garnering just 49% of U.S. patents granted in 2008, down from 50% in 2007." Further, "U.S. firms hold just four of the top 10 slots and 12 of the top 35." But, according to Darlene Slaughter, general manager of IFI Patent Intelligence, one shouldn't "confuse quantity with quality." Slaughter said, "What's clear is that many of the world's largest companies are placing a higher priority on protecting their intellectual property."