谁是2016年获专利最多的公司？

IBM软件工程师杰里米·格林伯格勾画专利草图，此项专利正在等待公司总部审核，北卡罗来纳州三角研究区。

2016年IBM获得了8088项美国专利，部分因为该公司在人工智能和预测性分析领域的研究很有突破。同时，高通和谷歌等其他美国公司也在获得专利方面名列前茅。在很多人眼里，从专利数量能看出创新能力。

研究机构IFI Claims Patent Services公布的数据显示，总部设在西雅图的亚马逊去年获得1662项专利，增长了46%。从国家看，美国公司获专利数量提高了41%，随后是日本（21%）和韩国（15%）

以下是IFI报告截图，苹果公司连续第二年排在第11位：

IBM software engineer Jeremy Greenberg sketches out a patent he has pending at the company's headquarter's in Research Triangle Park, N.C.

IBM earned a record 8,088 U.S. patents in 2016 thanks in part to the company's research into artificial intelligence and predictive analytics. Meanwhile, other American U.S. tech companies, including Qualcomm and Google were among the other leaders in earning patents, which many see as a metric of innovation.

The figures, published by researcher IFI Claims Patent Services, also show Amazon (amzn) posting a 46% increase in patenting activity as the Seattle company claimed 1,662 inventions last year. From a country perspective, U.S. firms led with 41% of all patents received, followed by Japan (28%) and South Korea (15%).

Here is a screenshot from the IFI report, which listed Apple as No. 11 for the second year in a row:

除了亚马逊，另外几家公司去年获得专利的数量也大幅提升。IFI的报告指出：“2016年涨幅较大的包括诺基亚增加74%、现代增加39%，中国的华为增幅达到50%……英特尔也比2015年多了36%。”

IFI的数据显示，过去两年获专利最多的是IBM。该公司首席创新官伯尼·梅尔森曾对《财富》杂志透露，IBM获得专利猛增是专心研发的成果，特别是在人工智能领域。

梅尔森表示：“认知时代的来临帮我们走在全人类的前列。我们的电脑沃森可不是在参加Jeopardy!电视问答秀时刚出现，至少五年前就已完成研发。”梅尔森还说，IBM在计算机驱动分析方面的研究将大大造福医疗健康和供应链管理等领域。

这份年度专利数据公布时，恰逢美国专利系统饱受质疑。批评人士认为专利系统授予的弱专利过多，而且默许所谓的“专利流氓”（有些公司不从事生产，专门靠提起专利诉讼获利）勒索认真经营的企业。美国最高法院也一直在密切关注专利系统——最近还专门就一起专利起诉地存在争议的案件举行了听证会。（财富中文网）

译者：Charlie

In addition to Amazon, several other companies posted significant increases in patent grants last year. "Big gainers in 2016 include Nokia, up 74%; Hyundai up 39%; China’s Huawei Technologies, up 50%; ... and Intel, up 36% over 2015," according to the IFI report.

IBM (ibm) has earned more patents than any other company for the past 24 years, according to IFI. The company's Chief Innovation Officer, Bernie Meyerson, told Fortune that the company's patent bounty is the result of a deliberate focus on R&D, especially in the field of artificial intelligence.

"The emergence of the cognitive era helped us get a jump on nearly everyone. Watson didn’t happen when Jeopardy happened—it happened at least five years before," said Meyerson, who added the company's research into computer-driven analytics will result in major benefits in fields like health and supply chain management.

The annual patent numbers came out amid ongoing questions about the state of the U.S. patent system, which critics say grants too many weak patents and allows so-called "patent trolls" (firms that don't produce anything but simply file patent lawsuits) to shake down productive companies. The patent system is also the subject of ongoing scrutiny by the Supreme Court, which recently appeared to hear an important venue case.