Canon is the only company in the world to have placed in the top 5 US patent rankings for 37 consecutive years
(Image credit: Canon)
For the 37th year in a row, Canon has ranked in the top 5 for the number of US patents awarded in 2022. This makes Canon the only company in the world to have ranked in the top five for almost four decades.
Best known for making some of the best mirrorless, best DLSRs and best professional cameras, Canon’s continued globalization of its business places a huge amount of value on obtaining patents overseas.
In 2022 Canon submitted an impressive 2,694 patents, and although that is down on previous years (from 3,021 in 2021 and 3,225 in 2020) it was still enough to secure the company's place at the top of the charts.
(Image credit: Canon)
Just beating Canon to the top spots were The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in fourth place, Hitachi in third, Samsung ranking second, with Panasonic taking the number one spot.
A patent forms the very beginning stages of an idea in legal terms, and every Canon product that has ever existed started with one. Patents grant exclusive rights to an invention, product or process, and while some patents never make it to a finished product, they give a company autonomy to explore new ideas and concepts without worrying that they will be 'stolen'.
Coincidentally, we've just reported on a trio of patents for new Canon RF zoom lenses – which includes the manufacturer's intention "to realize a negative lead zoom lens", which would use negative refractive power to make lenses shorter and much more compact.
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Having studied Journalism and Public Relations at the University of the West of England Hannah developed a love for photography through a module on photojournalism. She specializes in Portrait, Fashion and lifestyle photography but has more recently branched out in the world of stylized product photography. Hannah spent three years working at Wex Photo Video as a Senior Sales Assistant, using her experience and knowledge of cameras to help people buy the equipment that is right for them. With eight years experience working with studio lighting, Hannah has run many successful workshops teaching people how to use different lighting setups.
