                 LIST OF TOP PATENTING ORGANIZATIONS *
                          Calendar Year 1999

    This report presents a preliminary list of the organizations receiving
    the most patents for invention (i.e., utility patents) during the 1999
    CALENDAR year.

    International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) ranks first, receiving
    2,756 utility patents, up four percent from its total for 1998. This is
    the seventh consecutive year that IBM has received more utility patents
    than any other non-Federal patenting organization.

    NEC Corporation ranks second, receiving 1,842 patents, up thirteen
    percent from the previous year, and Canon Kabushiki Kaisha ranks third
    with 1,795 patents for the year. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (Samsung)
    continues to receive a rapidly increasing number of patents and is now
    ranked fourth with 1,545 patents, eighteen percent above its count for
    1998. Last year, Samsung ranked sixth (1,304 patents in 1998); two years
    ago, it ranked seventeenth (582 patents in 1997).

    The U.S. organization, Motorola, Inc., drops from fourth to eighth
    position while Lucent Technologies Inc. joins the list for the first time
    with 1,153 patents, up twenty-four percent from its count for the
    previous year. Among Japanese organizations, Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki
    Kaisha, rejoins the list after a one year absence while Hitachi, Ltd drops
    from the list. The U.S. Government received 870 utility patents for the
    year (please see "#" note below (5/18/2000)).

    As was the case last year, the top ten patenting organizations consist of
    three U.S. corporations, six Japanese corporations, and one corporation
    from the Republic of Korea. A complete listing of the top ten patenting
    organizations receiving utility patents in 1999 is shown below. Patent
    receipts by the U.S. Government are also displayed.

    1999    1999                                         ( Rank  )  (# Patents)
    Rank  # Patents  Organization                        (in 1998)  ( in 1998 )
    ----  ---------  --------------------------          ---------  ----------
      1     2,756    International Business Machines Corp  (1)       (2,657)
      2     1,842    NEC Corporation                       (3)       (1,627)
      3     1,795    Canon Kabushiki Kaisha                (2)       (1,928)
      4     1,545    Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.         (6)       (1,304)
      5     1,409    Sony Corporation                      (5)       (1,316)
      6     1,200    Toshiba Corporation                   (8)       (1,170)
      7     1,193    Fujitsu Limited                       (7)       (1,189)
      8     1,192    Motorola Inc.                         (4)       (1,406)
      9     1,153    Lucent Technologies Inc.             (13)         (928)
     10     1,054    Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha    (11)       (1,080)

              870 #  U.S. GOVERNMENT                                 (1,018)

            +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
       #    +  Please note that the 1999 count of U.S. GOVERNMENT patents has +
            +  been revised upward to 983. See the report, "Patenting         +
            +  By Organizations, 1999" for other updated counts.    (5/18/00) +
            +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    * The  listed patent counts are preliminary counts which are subject to
    correction. The final listing of 1999 patent counts for the top patenting
    organizations should be available by early April.

    Please Note:
    Patent information presented reflects patent ownership at patent grant and
    does not include ownership changes that occur after the patent grant.
    Where more than one assignee (owner) exists, patents are attributed to the
    first-named assignee.

    No attempt has been made to combine data based on subsidiary relationships.
    However, where possible, spelling variations and variations based on name
    changes have been merged into a single name (e.g., ESSO to EXXON).  While
    every effort is made to accurately identify all organizational entities and
    to report data by a single organization name, achievement of a totally
    clean record is not expected, particularly in view of the many variations
    which occur in corporate identifications.

    ------------------
    Questions regarding this report should be directed to:
    (address as of 5/2000)
                 U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
                 Information Products Division
                 Technology Assessment and Forecast Branch
                 PK3-Suite 441
                 Washington, DC  20231

                 tel (703) 306-2600
                 FAX (703) 306-2737

    ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
    SOURCE:   U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
              Technology Assessment and Forecast database  (1-6-2000)