Apparently, according to Nikkei Financial News, the Hitachi Group was #2 in U.S. patents for 2003, second only to IBM Corporation. IBM had 3415 patents, whereas Hitachi Group had 2085. (No link because NNI only makes one week of article archives available.)

For 2004, the USPTO lists the top 10 organizations receiving U.S. patents. Hitachi fell to #8 with 1514 patents. The site lists the number for Hitachi Limited as 1893; apparently the 2085 number includes subsidiaries. Some creative math there, I see.

Patents are a tricky subject. In principle I don't like them, but there are a lot of things we wouldn't need in an ideal world. In a world of trade secret theft and outright copying (a la China), companies that spend a lot on research need the protection of a patent to recoup their investment. On the other hand, patents issued too broadly or without any research investment are the bane of progress. A 17-20 year lifespan doesn't help either, especially in technology. I have many opinions on patents, but I'll save them for another time.

I'm getting buried in email. There are entirely too many notes for me to read and reply to, on top of real work that's piling up....