China’s telecommunications giant Huawei made the highest number of patent applications in the world for the second consecutive year in 2015, filing more than three times the amount of all Indian firms combined.



Huawei applied for 3,898 patents last year, 456 more than a year ago and well ahead of US chipmaker Qualcomm's 2,442 and Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE's 2,155, according to the World Intellectual Property Organisation.



With 57,385 international patent applications, the United States retained its spot as the largest patent applicant for the 38th straight year.



Thomas Edison had over 2,000 patents worldwide — Trivia Hive (@TriviaHive) January 19, 2016





Japan, China and South Korea recorded strong growth in patent filing last year, accounting for 43 percent of total filings together with other Asian countries.



Huawei allocates approximately 10 percent of its annual budget to research and development and employs almost 2,000 workers in the field in Europe alone.