Boston Patent Numbers Continue to Rise in Fourth Quarter, Finishing A Positive Year

ALBANY, NY (01/11/2012)(readMedia)-- Hoffman Warnick LLC (HW), an intellectual property law firm with offices in Boston, Albany and Rochester, has released the Boston Patent Index for Fourth Quarter of 2011. The "Boston Patent Index" includes patent issuances to inventors and companies residing within the Boston Metro Area*.

Following the continuing trend in the Boston Metro Area, the total number of patent issuances increased again during the Fourth Quarter of 2011, with a total number of 1,227. This represents an increase from the Third Quarter (1,220), Second Quarter (1,173) and First Quarter (1,156) of 2011, and is significantly higher than the same quarter in 2010 (1,122). The number of published patent applications (1,730) in the Fourth Quarter also rose to a quarterly high for 2011, surpassing each of the first three quarters of the year.

"The latest Quarterly Index illustrates to us that patent filings in Boston have increased despite the poor state of the national economy over the last few years. I believe we can take this as an indicator that the Boston region's innovation engine is still running smoothly," states Matthew B. Pinckney, a patent attorney in Hoffman Warnick's Boston Office. "Boston continues to innovate," states Michael Hoffman, another founding partner of HW. "We are excited to be a part of the Boston patent community, which is home to many of the most innovative companies in the world," Hoffman said.

A few entities at the top of the Boston Patent Index include: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), International Business Machines (IBM), Boston Scientific, EMC, Schlumberger, and Bose.

Matthew Pinckney further stated: "The Fourth Quarter data reinforces our belief that Boston-area companies and inventors have remained warm to the patent system despite the long economic winter. Patent issuances reinforce our beliefs in the patent system and the returns on technology investment. We are always happy to see patent numbers increase, and are hopeful that these rising numbers are indicative of a continuing economic recovery in this region and elsewhere."

To obtain a pdf of this quarter's Patent Index, please e-mail hwemail@hoffmanwarnick.com or visit www.hoffmanwarnick.com.

About Hoffman Warnick LLC: Hoffman Warnick LLC is an intellectual property law firm focusing on biotechnology, nanotechnology, computers and software, electrical, mechanical, chemical, and materials engineering. Hoffman Warnick is committed to providing the highest quality services including: domestic and international property rights procurement, dispute resolution, and licensing.

*- The Boston Metro Area is defined for the purposes of this index as those counties/zip codes located within the Interstate 95/Route 128 corridor. All individuals and companies having at least one inventor residing within this Area, or a registration address within this Area, were part of the Boston Patent Index.