In 2014, companies based in Orange County were granted a total of 3,520 U.S. patents. This marked a significant growth of 12.1% compared to the figures from the previous year, 2013. Moreover, this number is approximately double the count of patents that were awarded in the year 2008.
Impressively, Orange County outshone the overall trend in the United States for patent grants, which only saw a 7.7% increase from 2013 to 2014. This accomplishment by Orange County contrasts with the pattern observed over the preceding two years, where Orange County had been trailing behind the percentage growth seen in the broader U.S. patent grants. Furthermore, this also marks a reversal of the declining year-to-year percentage increase that Orange County had experienced over the past four years.
As is customary, the Orange County patent figures were notably influenced by Broadcom Corp., which once again secured roughly one-third of all U.S. patents issued in Orange County in 2014. The second-largest beneficiary of patents in Orange County, Western Digital, made an impressive leap of 130% in the number of U.S. patents it received in 2014 compared to the previous year, 2013. On the other hand, the third-largest patent recipient, Allergan, witnessed a decline of 3.6% in its patent count from the previous year.
For comparative purposes, the list below provides a breakdown of the U.S. patents acquired by Orange County’s “Top Ten” companies involved in patenting during the year 2014. This list also includes the corresponding percentage increase or decrease compared to their patent counts in 2013.
- Broadcom: 1202; +11.4%
- Western Digital: 368; +130%
- Allergan: 189; -3.6%
- BSH Home Appliance: 60; +5.3%
- AMO: 55; -22.5%
- Edwards Lifesciences: 53; +23%
- Masimo: 42; +35.5%
- NetLogic: 41; +13.9%
- Oakley: 32; +10.3%
- Applied Medical Resources: 26; -18.8%