World's 10 Most Innovative Companies

Minyanville

In the tech world, utility patents are a clear sign of innovation. The more utility patents that a company possesses, the greater its chances of advancing its industry, or coming out with the next big thing.

The list of top 10 foreign companies to acquire the most utility patents in 2011, is ranked annually by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services, the leading producer of global patent databases. Although US company IBM has held the title as No.1 corporate innovator for the past 19 years, there are a few East Asian companies looking to take the throne. "Global companies, and especially Asian ones, are collecting U.S patents at a dizzying pace, and now Asian firms hold eight of the top 10 slots in the 2011 ranking," said Mike Baycroft, CEO, IFI CLAIMS Patent Services. "This isn't to say that U.S. companies have lost their verve for patent production, as their patent portfolios are also growing. It seems that Asian companies have apparently made it a higher priority."

As for Canada, only one firm made it into the top 50, and that was Research in Motion, at number 40, right between Apple at 39 and LG at 41. Interestingly, an entry from the summer in the IFI blog noted that despite RIM shares dropping, the patent count was growing, indicating there might be some life left in the old tech giant.

So here it is: the Top 10 most innovative foreign companies. Take note because one of these names might be leading the tech world in the near future.