Thomson Reuters has released its annual Top 100 Global Innovators study, and two Texas companies have made the list. Irving-based Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) has made the top 100 for the fourth year in a row, while Freescale Semiconductor Inc., headquartered in Austin, has been honored for the third time.
The study analyzes patent and citation data based upon overall patent volume, patent grant success, global reach and invention influence evidenced by citations. Japan and the United States account for 75 percent of the companies on the list, with Japan (40 companies) outstripping the United States (35 companies) only slightly. Two industries, chemical and semiconductors and electrical components, tied for the most-represented.
Considering its unique methodology emphasizing patents, the results of this study, now in its fifth year, should be especially interesting for North Texans to watch with the opening of the federal patent office in Dallas on Nov. 9. Lawyers have already projected increased patent applications with the opening of this regional office, as the bottle-necked patent process has long muted and squelched many businesses’ attempts at patent applications. Continued corporate relocations may also glean even more Global Innovators for Texas. All things considered: it’s a good time to be inventing in Texas.
