Nintendo has a total of 8541 patents globally, out of which 6990 have been granted. Of these 8541 patents, more than 75% patents are active. Japan is where Nintendo has filed the maximum number of patents, followed by the United States of America and Europe (EPO). Parallelly, Japan seems to be the main focused R&D center and also is the origin country of Nintendo.
Nintendo was founded in 1889 as a Nintendo Karuta by Fusajiro Yamauchi. Nintendo develops, manufactures, and sells household leisure equipment. The Company produces home use video game hardware and software products. As of July 2022, Nintendo has a market cap of $52 Billion.
Do read about some of the most popular patents of Nintendo which have been covered by us in this article and also you can find Nintendo patents information, the worldwide patent filing activity and its patent filing trend over the years, and many other stats over Nintendo patent portfolio.
How many patents does Nintendo have?
Nintendo has a total of 8541 patents globally. These patents belong to 3332 unique patent families. Out of 8541 patents, 6461 patents are active.
How Many Patents did Nintendo File Every Year?
Are you wondering why there is a drop in patent filing for the last two years? It is because a patent application can take up to 18 months to get published. Certainly, it doesn’t suggest a decrease in the patent filing.
| Year of Patents Filing or Grant | Nintendo Applications Filed | Nintendo Patents Granted |
| 2024 | 28 | 154 |
| 2023 | 189 | 211 |
| 2022 | 228 | 212 |
| 2021 | 209 | 316 |
| 2020 | 214 | 409 |
| 2019 | 241 | 416 |
| 2018 | 255 | 386 |
| 2017 | 440 | 452 |
| 2016 | 341 | 437 |
| 2015 | 292 | 429 |
| 2014 | 313 | 526 |
| 2013 | 477 | 545 |
How many Nintendo patents are Alive/Dead?
Worldwide Patents
How Many Patents did Nintendo File in Different Countries?
Countries in which Nintendo Filed Patents
| Country | Patents |
| Japan | 3036 |
| United States of America | 2833 |
| Europe (EPO) | 909 |
| Germany | 478 |
| China | 278 |
| Australia | 139 |
| United Kingdom | 130 |
| Korea (South) | 120 |
| Taiwan | 105 |
| Hong Kong (S.A.R.) | 76 |
| Canada | 59 |
| Mexico | 49 |
| Singapore | 39 |
| Spain | 34 |
| Brazil | 32 |
| Argentina | 32 |
| Austria | 29 |
| Malaysia | 15 |
| France | 12 |
| India | 6 |
| #N/A | 4 |
| Israel | 1 |
| Indonesia | 1 |
| Switzerland | 1 |
| Saudi Arabia | 1 |
| Sweden | 1 |
| Italy | 1 |
Where are Research Centers of Nintendo Patents Located?
10 Best Nintendo Patents
US6699127B1 is the most popular patent in the Nintendo portfolio. It has received 413 citations so far from companies like Konami Corporation, Onlive Inc and Microsoft.
Below is the list of 10 most cited patents of Nintendo:
| Publication Number | Citation Count |
| US6699127B1 | 413 |
| US7774155B2 | 401 |
| US7056217B1 | 358 |
| US6716103B1 | 348 |
| USD625323S1 | 292 |
| US6884171B2 | 240 |
| US6769989B2 | 234 |
| US7002591B1 | 226 |
| US6743104B1 | 200 |
| US6712704B2 | 196 |
EXCLUSIVE INSIGHTS COMING SOON!
What are Nintendo key innovation segments?
What Technologies are Covered by Nintendo?
The chart below distributes patents filed by Nintendo in different countries on the basis of the technology protected in patents. It also represents the markets where Nintendo thinks it’s important to protect particular technology inventions.
R&D Focus: How has Nintendo search focus changed over the years?
EXCLUSIVE INSIGHTS COMING SOON!