Network company Nokia filed by far the largest number of patent applications in Finland last year, the Patent and Registration Office said on Sunday.
Nokia Technologies filed 223 applications while Nokia Solutions and Networks filed another 58. Together they sought 281 patents, up from 259 the year before.
Once the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer, Nokia has concentrated on mobile networks since it sold its phone division to Microsoft in 2013. Three years later, the US firm sold its feature phone assets to Foxconn and HMD, which has been selling Nokia-branded phones since 2017 under a 10-year licensing agreement. HMD, like Nokia, is based in Espoo, while the devices are manufactured by Taiwan's Foxconn.
Nokia is one of the world's biggest 5G network infrastructure providers, along with Sweden's Ericsson, the US firm Cisco and China's Huawei.
VTT, Aalto busy with patents
Other major filers of patent applications last year were the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland with 65 patent applications (five more than the previous year), and the Aalto University Foundation with 58 (up by six). Both are also based in Espoo.
They were followed by metals firm Valmet Technologies with 41, telecoms operator Elisa (40), energy firm Neste (37) and chemicals firm Kemira (32).
VTT is state-owned, while Aalto is a mostly public-funded university. State investment firm Solidium is the largest shareholder in Nokia, Valmet and Elisa, and the second-largest owner of Kemira. The state is also the main shareholder in Neste, with a 36 percent stake.