ZTE had applied for the fourth-most smartphone patents of any company globally, with 972 total applications.
A report by the State Intellectual Property Office of the People’s Republic of China published the global rankings. The report also states that ZTE ranked first in China for smartphone patent applications, with 1,019. According to the report, applications for smart phone patents increased rapidly around the globe from 2003 through 2006.
In China, applications for smart phone patents began to increase rapidly in 2005. During that year, applications filed by domestic applicants outnumbered those filed by overseas applicants for the first time. “Patent applications are important to ZTE,” said He Shiyou, EVP at ZTE. “Our global and domestic rankings in smartphone patent filings show the company’s commitment to R&D and innovation.”