Unified Patent's 2014 PTAB Report

NOTE:   IT CAN SOMETIMES TAKE UP TO 30 SECONDS FOR THE POST TO SHOW THE GRAPHS.  IF YOU CONTINUE TO HAVE PROBLEMS WE HAVE CREATED A STATIC VERSION OF THE REPORT HERE.

http://unifiedpatents.com/2014-ptab-report/

Figure 1: 1675 PTAB petitions were filed in 2014, more than double the petitions filed in 2013.

PTAB Petitions FiledNPENon-NPE2012Q32012Q42013Q12013Q22013Q32013Q42014Q12014Q22014Q32014Q40150300450600
Non-NPENPE
00
2012 Q3214
2012 Q44244
2013 Q16234
2013 Q29364
2013 Q312995
2013 Q4157158
2014 Q1102129
2014 Q2188309
2014 Q3231213
2014 Q4228275

Figure 2:  Over half (55%) of PTAB petitions in 2014 were filed against NPEs.

PTAB Petitions by NPE TypeNon-NPENPE44.7%55.3%
Filings
0
Non-NPE749
NPE926

Figure 3: 85% of 2014 PTAB petitions were filed by companies with revenues of more then $200 million.

PTAB Petitions by Company TypeIndependentSMENon-SME13.7%85.1%
Cases
0
Independent20
SME229
Non-SME1,426

Figure 4: 66% of 2014 PTAB petitions were High Tech related.

PTAB Petitions by IndustryHigh-TechMedicalOther22.5%11.7%65.8%
#
0
High-Tech1,109
Medical197
Other379

Figure 5: 84% of 2014 PTAB petitions against NPEs were in the High Tech sector.

PTAB Petitions Against NPEs by IndustryHigh-TechMedicalOther12.7%83.7%
#
0
High-Tech775
Medical33
Other118

Figure 6: 72% of 2014 PTAB petitions filed against NPEs were against Patent Assertion Entities.

PTAB Petitions by TypeIndividualNPE (Small Company)NPE (PatentAssertion Entity)24.3%71.7%
#
0
Individual37
NPE (Small Company)225
NPE (Patent Assertion Entity)664

Figure 7: IPRs were 90% of all 2014 PTAB petitions.

Types of PTAB PetitionsIPRCBMPGR89.6%
#
0
IPR1,500
CBM172
PGR3

Figure 8:  Top 5 PTAB Petitioners in 2014

PTABPetitionsFiledAppleGoogleMicrosoftSamsungLG0255075100
PTAB Petitions Filed
0
Apple86
Google54
Microsoft40
Samsung40
LG 38

Figure 9: Top 5 Patent Owners Petitioned against in 2014

PTABPetitionsAgainstZondIntellectual VenturesContentGuardSmartflashVirnetX04080120160
PTAB Petitions Against
0
Zond125
Intellectual Ventures62
ContentGuard 35
Smartflash 31
VirnetX 25

Definitions

Technology Sectors:

High-Tech = Software, Hardware, Networking, etc.
Medical = Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices, Health Related Technologies, etc…
Other = Mechanical, Packaged Good, Sporting Equipment, etc…

Entities:

Non Practicing Entity (NPE) = Company which derives the majority of its total revenue from Patent Licensing activities.
Operating Company or Op. Co.  = Company which derives most of its total revenue from Product Sales or Services.  Could be an SME or a large company.
Other Entity = Universities / Non-Profits / Government / Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
NPE (Patent Assertion Entities) = Entity whose primary activity is licensing patents and acquired most of its patents from another entity
NPE (Small Company) = Entity whose original activity was providing products and services, but now is primarily focused on monetizing its own patent portfolio.
NPE (Individual) = Entity owned of controlled by an individual inventor who is primarily focused on monetizing inventions patents by that individual inventor.
SME = Companies that make less than $200 million in annual revenue.
Independent = Entities not prone to patent infringement suits, for example non-profits or companies like Unified Patents.

PTAB Post Grant Reviews:

IPR = Inter Partes Review
CBM= Covered Business Method
PGR = Post Grant Review

Methodology

Total number of reported petitions can vary.  Unified made its best attempt to eliminate mistaken or duplicative filings.
Unified strives to accurately identify NPEs through all available means, such as court filings, public documents, and product documentation.
Unified strives to determine an SME's revenue through all available means, such as court filings, public documents, and product documentation.