1) The Internet of Things (IoT) market is projected to grow significantly from $120 billion in 2016 to $253 billion in 2021. Patent activity and acquisitions in IoT are also increasing substantially. 2) Samsung, Qualcomm, Microsoft, and Intel are the top patent holders in key IoT technologies such as sensors, processors, and network infrastructure. China is the largest source of IoT patent applications. 3) Major acquisitions in IoT have involved companies in applications such as home automation, wearables, and industrial automation technologies. These acquisitions are helping companies expand into new IoT business areas.

1. IoT – Internet of Things
Technology Landscape & Patents
Connected DevicesMarket Growth
Spend Sales
High Quality* Patent – Patents with a Relecura Patent
Quality Star Rating of 3 and above (out of 5).
$120 billion in 2016,
growing to $253 billion in
2021 (Zinnov)
$900 million in 2015 to $3.7
billion in 2020 (McKinsey)
Patent Holder
Number of High Quality
Patent Applications
921
599
435
333
304
278
236
Rank Home Utilities
Factory
Automation
Automotive
E-
Commerce
Health Wearables Agriculture Mining
1
2
3
4
5
Sensors and Devices
Processors
PowerManagement
IdentityandSecurity
Network
Applications & Services
Data Analytics
Cloud and
Platform
DataStorage
Business-Facing
Customer-Facing
Agriculture
Manufacturing
Mining
Energy
Process
Military
Supply Chain
Natural Resources
Entertainment
Home Automation
Wearables
Retail
Healthcare
Hospitality
Education
Government
BankingUtilities
Public Services
Transportation
& Logistics
3656
6485
2509
(Patent Equivalents)
LG
4. Intel – 2386
5. Huawei – 2343
6. ZTE – 1954
7. Ericsson – 1878
8. Sony – 1801
9. Korea Electronics
Telecom – 1504
10. Nokia – 1337
(Patent Applications)
119,863 41,603
146,323 16,169 22
Publication Types
IP Types
Patent Star Rating Avg. 2.06
459
2450
27,175
108,799
23,708
Total Patent Equivalents
162,591
Top Patent Acquirer
288
Total Transactions
129,770
Applications Grants
Invention Model Design
Peak Year of Activity
2017 (28,887)
Top Active Jurisdiction
CN (61, 647)
Top Rated
US7882394B2 (5)
Top Cited
US7733224B2 (757)
Top Patent Holder
6,485
No: of Technologies
619
4
5
3
Network Sensors Security
Power
Mgmt
Data
Analytics
Data
Storage
Processors
Cloud
Computing
2
Rank
1
173
Top Sellers 547 259 158 149
Top Acquirers 572 224 200
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
4,000
4,500
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Home Utilities Factory Automation Automotive
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
18,000
20,000
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Network Sensors Security Power Management
IoT Application Companies IoT Technology CompaniesAcquiring Companies
Market Projections
IoT Technologies IoT Applications
Key Acquisitions
Patent Landscape Top Patent Holders
Geographical Distribution High Quality* Patent Holders
Publishing Trends (IoT Applications)Publishing Trends (IoT Technologies)
Company Rankings (IoT Technologies)
Company Rankings (IoT Applications)
Transactions (Patent Applications)
Japan
Republic of Korea
EPO
Russian Federation
India
Australia
Canada
548
19
155
122
86 71
12
6
Key Transfers
Automated Control
Disclaimer:
This infographic, including the information and analysis and any opinion or recommendation, is
neither legal advice nor intended for investment purposes. This document is not warranted to
be error-free, nor subject to any other warranties or conditions, whether expressed orally or
implied in law, including implied warranties and conditions of merchantability or fitness for a
particular purpose. Relecura Inc., specifically disclaims any liability with respect to this document
and no contractual obligations are formed either directly or indirectly by this document.
Copyright © 2018 Relecura Inc. All rights reserved
Sources:
IoT IP Landscape and Commercialization Trends (Relecura IP Intelligence Report)
Winning in IoT: It’s all about the Business Processes (BCG Perspectives)
10 Internet of Things Acquisitions so far in 2016 (CRN)
The IP of IoT – Top 5 Companies and How their IP pans out (Intellectual Property Blawg)
New IoT platform off to a good start but deals will ultimately determine success (IAM Magazine)
Infographic created by:
www.relecura.com
Contact: info@relecura.com
21 billion by
2020/21 (Gartner)
$470 billion (Bain)