Nokia Corporation (NOK), QUALCOMM, Inc. (QCOM): Will the “World’s Strongest Material” Stirr Up New Patent Wars?

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Mr. Karter is referring to the $100,000 prize recently awarded to Michael Lekas and Sunwoo Lee, electrical engineering Ph.D. candidates, whose project working with graphene related to wireless communications apparently impressed the company very much. More can be read on this subject here.

So what about patents?

Samsung is currently in the lead for graphene patents, followed by IBM. According to a British study, when it comes to countries, China is taking the lead by a longshot, with over 2,200 patents. The United States is second, with around 1,700. Britain had a lowly 54, which may explain why they are also investing money to dish out grants.

To put Samsung’s lead in perspective: they have over 400 graphene patents to IBM’s 134.

The bottom line:

The wonder material known as graphene is starting to cause competition in the patent world. Its applications and uses are being explored and tested, and it may lead to infinite innovations in multiple sectors and industries. Companies are positioning themselves to reap the rewards, and it may be a good time for investors to start paying more attention to graphene to follow suit. The filing of patents has begun by both countries and companies.

The article Will the “World’s Strongest Material” Stirr Up New Patent Wars? originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by  Joseph Harry.

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