BMW has a total of 66376 patents globally, out of which 25668 have been granted. Of these 66376 patents, more than 66% patents are active. Germany is where BMW has filed the maximum number of patents, followed by United States of America and China. Parallelly, Germany seems to be the main focused R&D centre and also is the origin country of BMW.
BMW was founded in the year 1916. Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW) manufactures and sells cars and motorcycles. The Company offers convertible sports cars, sedans, and touring motorcycles with large displacement engines.
Want to know which automotive companies are leading in innovation? Check out our list of the top automotive companies ranked by their patent count here
Do read about some of the most popular patents of BMW which have been covered by us in this article and also you can find BMW’s patents information, the worldwide patent filing activity and its patent filing trend over the years, and many other stats over BMW’s patent portfolio.
BMW Innovation Prediction Roadmap: 2026-2030
The insights and projections presented in this article are based on predictive analysis, current patent analysis that have been done, and publicly available information as of 2026. While care has been taken to ensure accuracy, the forward-looking statements are speculative and should not be interpreted as definitive strategic actions by BMW or its affiliates. This content is intended for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or investment advice.
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How many patents does BMW have?
BMW has a total of 66376 patents globally. These patents belong to 49244 unique patent families. Out of 66376 patents, 44718 patents are active.
How Many Patents did BMW 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 | BMW Applications Filed | BMW Patents Granted |
| 2026 | 5 | 650 |
| 2025 | 751 | 2107 |
| 2024 | 4099 | 2557 |
| 2023 | 5025 | 2179 |
| 2022 | 5439 | 2326 |
| 2021 | 4921 | 2249 |
| 2020 | 4449 | 1636 |
| 2019 | 5012 | 1561 |
| 2018 | 4570 | 1311 |
| 2017 | 4407 | 1147 |
How many BMW patents are Alive/Dead?
Worldwide Patents
How Many Patents did BMW File in Different Countries?
Countries in which BMW Filed Patents
| Country | Patents |
| Germany | 30788 |
| United States of America | 9977 |
| China | 8147 |
| Europe (EPO) | 5015 |
| Taiwan | 1892 |
| Japan | 1013 |
| Korea (South) | 638 |
| Austria | 578 |
| Spain | 318 |
| United Kingdom | 266 |
| Ireland | 236 |
| India | 192 |
| Italy | 128 |
| Brazil | 62 |
| South Africa | 59 |
| Hong Kong (S.A.R.) | 56 |
| Montenegro | 31 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 28 |
| Canada | 21 |
| Mexico | 16 |
| Poland | 12 |
| France | 11 |
| Russia | 7 |
| Australia | 5 |
| Hungary | 5 |
| Portugal | 4 |
| Dominican Republic | 2 |
| Malaysia | 2 |
| Thailand | 2 |
| Vietnam | 2 |
| Turkey | 2 |
| Slovenia | 1 |
10 Best BMW Patents
USD552769S1 is the most popular patent in the BMW portfolio. It has received 410 citations so far from companies like Ford, Audi and Daimler.
Below is the list of 10 most cited patents of BMW:
| Publication Number | Citation Count |
| USD552769S1 | 410 |
| USD544614S1 | 366 |
| USD561357S1 | 282 |
| USD605793S1 | 234 |
| US9248835B2 | 163 |
| USD739583S1 | 136 |
| USD567167S1 | 136 |
| WO2009006992A1 | 135 |
| USD528495S1 | 135 |
| US7317386B2 | 133 |
What Percentage of BMW US Patent Applications were Granted?
BMW (Excluding its subsidiaries) has filed 5443 patent applications at USPTO so far (Excluding Design and PCT applications). Out of these 3873 have been granted leading to a grant rate of 89.28%.
Below are the key stats of BMW patent prosecution at the USPTO.
Which Law Firms are managing US Patents for BMW?
| Law Firm | Total Applications | Success Rate |
| Crowell & Moring Llp | 4687 | 97.55% |
| General Motors Llc | 119 | 100.00% |
| Maginot Moore & Beck Llp | 86 | 100.00% |
| Evenson Mckeown Edwards & Lenahan Pllc | 64 | 80.00% |
| 2Spl Patent Attorneys | 56 | 84.09% |
| Finch & Maloney Pllc | 48 | 100.00% |
| Barnes & Thornburg Llp | 34 | 97.78% |
| Evenson Wands Edwards Lenahan | 24 | 100.00% |
| Craig & Burns | 23 | 84.26% |
| Barley Snyder | 22 | 86.36% |
EXCLUSIVE INSIGHTS COMING SOON!
What are BMW key innovation segments?
What Technologies are Covered by BMW?
The chart below distributes patents filed by BMW in different countries on the basis of the technology protected in patents. It also represents the markets where BMW thinks it’s important to protect particular technology inventions.
R&D Focus: How BMW search focus changed over the years?
EXCLUSIVE INSIGHTS COMING SOON!
