Siemens is at the forefront of unitary patent applications. The European Unitary Patent–together with the associated Unified Patent Court (UPC)–started in June 2023. Since then, the European Patent Office has received more than 12,000 applications for the new European Unitary Patent–most of these applications came from Siemens.
The unitary patent is particularly relevant for the open digital business platform Siemens Xcelerator, which helps Siemens’ customers accelerate their digital transformation and offers software-as-a-service, among other things. Patent infringements in software are difficult to enforce across different countries in the current system. Software often runs in clouds, data and program servers are located in different countries, and the software is frequently executed in yet other countries. A unified patent and jurisdiction mean that patent infringements are now much easier to enforce. Siemens intends to bring products, in particular those that can be distributed throughout the EU, under the UPC.
“For Siemens, the opportunities stemming from the European Unitary Patent are greatest in digital technologies,” said Beat Weibel, head of Siemens Intellectual Property. “As a result, we’re strengthening the future viability of our constantly growing open digital business platform Siemens Xcelerator with its efficient partner network. We’re also offering our customers a reliable digital transformation journey.” Siemens has a total of more than 5,120 patent families in the areas of simulation and digital twin, data analytics and artificial intelligence as well as connectivity and edge computing and, as a result, has the largest patent portfolio compared to other industry competitors.
Every year, Siemens applies for more than 1,000 new patents in these areas–more than twice as many as seven years ago. Key competitors’ portfolios in these areas are no more than half as large. The technologies simulation and digital twin, data analytics and artificial intelligence and connectivity and edge computing play a key role in the development of the industrial metaverse.
About Siemens
Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a technology company focused on industry, infrastructure, transport and healthcare. From more resource-efficient factories, resilient supply chains and smarter buildings and grids, to cleaner and more comfortable transportation as well as advanced healthcare, the company creates technology with purpose adding real value for customers. By combining the real and the digital worlds, Siemens empowers its customers to transform their industries and markets, helping them to transform the everyday for billions of people. Siemens also owns a majority stake in the publicly listed company Siemens Healthineers, a globally leading medical technology provider shaping the future of healthcare.
In addition, Siemens holds a minority stake in Siemens Energy, a global leader in the transmission and generation of electrical power.
