Apple's U.S. patent grants fell 12% in 2025, dropping the company to sixth place in annual rankings from IFI CLAIMS Patent Services. The company received 2,722 patents, down from 3,082 the previous year. This decline mirrors a broader industry contraction, as U.S. patent applications fell 9% to their lowest level since 2019.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office still faces a backlog of over 1.2 million applications, delaying issuance for many companies. While Apple slipped, competitors held firm or gained ground. Samsung retained the top spot for the fourth straight year with 7,054 grants. TSMC and Qualcomm followed in second and third place, respectively. Gains were seen by Dell and Toyota, driven by patents in computing infrastructure and energy storage.

The slowdown occurred despite Apple's increased spending on AI and silicon design. It's worth noting that even Nvidia failed to rank in the top 50, suggesting the patent system is lagging behind the current AI investment boom.