Patent Intelligence · Portfolio Age
Patent age analysis
How fresh is the active patent portfolio in each technology domain? AI patents are predominantly recent; pharmaceutical portfolios carry decades of legacy IP.
Overall avg grant year
2017
Overall median
2020
Patents analyzed
1,054
Portfolio Freshness by Domain
Sorted newest to oldest (by avg grant year). Each bar = stacked era breakdown.
AI & Machine Learning
avg yr 2020
n=242
■ 2020+ 62.4%
■ 2010–19 32.6%
■ 2000–09 3.7%
■ Pre-2000 1.2%
Automotive
avg yr 2020
n=94
■ 2020+ 69.1%
■ 2010–19 23.4%
■ 2000–09 3.2%
■ Pre-2000 4.3%
Telecommunications
avg yr 2018
n=467
■ 2020+ 54.6%
■ 2010–19 34.3%
■ 2000–09 6.2%
■ Pre-2000 4.9%
Gene Editing
avg yr 2018
n=31
■ 2020+ 67.7%
■ 2010–19 16.1%
■ Pre-2000 16.1%
Mechanical Engineering
avg yr 2018
n=200
■ 2020+ 64.0%
■ 2010–19 19.5%
■ 2000–09 5.5%
■ Pre-2000 11.0%
Software
avg yr 2018
n=520
■ 2020+ 48.1%
■ 2010–19 39.2%
■ 2000–09 6.9%
■ Pre-2000 5.8%
Clean Energy
avg yr 2017
n=84
■ 2020+ 54.8%
■ 2010–19 35.7%
■ 2000–09 2.4%
■ Pre-2000 7.1%
Consumer Electronics
avg yr 2017
n=579
■ 2020+ 48.7%
■ 2010–19 34.9%
■ 2000–09 7.9%
■ Pre-2000 8.5%
Semiconductors
avg yr 2016
n=174
■ 2020+ 49.4%
■ 2010–19 35.1%
■ 2000–09 5.2%
■ Pre-2000 10.3%
Biotechnology
avg yr 2015
n=230
■ 2020+ 48.7%
■ 2010–19 27.8%
■ 2000–09 8.3%
■ Pre-2000 15.2%
E-Commerce
avg yr 2015
n=101
■ 2020+ 26.7%
■ 2010–19 55.4%
■ 2000–09 8.9%
■ Pre-2000 8.9%
Pharmaceuticals
avg yr 2013
n=162
■ 2020+ 40.1%
■ 2010–19 30.2%
■ 2000–09 11.1%
■ Pre-2000 18.5%
Overall Grant Year Distribution
All patents in the database by grant year (1990–2026).
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020
2025
Full Domain Breakdown
| Domain | Avg yr | Median yr | 2020+ | 2010-19 | 2000-09 | Pre-2000 | n |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI & Machine Learning | 2020 | 2021 | 62.4% | 32.6% | 3.7% | 1.2% | 242 |
| Automotive | 2020 | 2022 | 69.1% | 23.4% | 3.2% | 4.3% | 94 |
| Telecommunications | 2018 | 2020 | 54.6% | 34.3% | 6.2% | 4.9% | 467 |
| Gene Editing | 2018 | 2025 | 67.7% | 16.1% | 0.0% | 16.1% | 31 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 2018 | 2022 | 64.0% | 19.5% | 5.5% | 11.0% | 200 |
| Software | 2018 | 2019 | 48.1% | 39.2% | 6.9% | 5.8% | 520 |
| Clean Energy | 2017 | 2020 | 54.8% | 35.7% | 2.4% | 7.1% | 84 |
| Consumer Electronics | 2017 | 2019 | 48.7% | 34.9% | 7.9% | 8.5% | 579 |
| Semiconductors | 2016 | 2019 | 49.4% | 35.1% | 5.2% | 10.3% | 174 |
| Biotechnology | 2015 | 2019 | 48.7% | 27.8% | 8.3% | 15.2% | 230 |
| E-Commerce | 2015 | 2016 | 26.7% | 55.4% | 8.9% | 8.9% | 101 |
| Pharmaceuticals | 2013 | 2018 | 40.1% | 30.2% | 11.1% | 18.5% | 162 |
What Portfolio Age Tells You
Fresh portfolios (high 2020+ %):
Domains with most IP filed in 2020+ are in a hyper-active filing phase. Prior art is still thin, claim scope tends to be broader, and the competitive landscape is still forming. High patenting velocity = high legal uncertainty.
Legacy-heavy portfolios (high pre-2000 %):
Mature domains with old patents will see large portions expiring in the next 10–20 years. This represents significant public-domain opportunity — products built on expired IP face no licensing cost from those patents.
Mixed-era portfolios (2000–2019 dominant):
The bulk of 20-year patent terms running 2000–2019 expire 2020–2039. These are the "middle generation" patents — old enough to have survived continuation pressure, new enough to still be in force.