Brain-Computer Interface Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
Brain-computer interface patents: filing trends, leading assignees and open claim space
31.1% concentration at the top. The five leading assignees account for 1,435 of 4,614 records in scope — a concentrated core, but with 90 more ranked assignees behind them holding smaller, defensible positions. Filings ran from 394 in 2017 to a peak of 401 in 2018, and 2021-2024 shows real growth (273 to 293, +7%) rather than plateau. 2025 and 2026 figures — 38 in the latest year — reflect publication lag, not a drop in filing activity; treat the last 18 months of any trend line as understated.
- 1SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT LLC20.4%
- 2NEURONEXUS TECHNOLOGIES INC3.1%
- 3GALVANI BIOELECTRONICS LTD2.7%
- 4MATHWORKS INC2.5%
- 5INTERAXON2.4%
See the full brain-computer interfaces patent landscape analysis in Eureka
- The complete ranking, not just the top five
- Every IPC branch with its share of the corpus
- The most-cited records, and where claim space is still thin
Common questions about the BCI patent landscape
Who holds the most brain-computer interface patents?
One assignee leads clearly with 941 records in this dataset, well ahead of fifth place at 112 and tenth at 61. The top five assignees combined hold 1,435 of 4,614 records in scope (31.1%), and the top ten hold 1,857 (40.2%), which means the field has a concentrated core but still a long tail of 90 further ranked companies each holding smaller, often single-digit positions. Checking where a specific leader’s claims actually sit — rather than assuming broad coverage from volume alone — is the more useful next step than the ranking itself.
Is brain-computer interface patent filing still growing?
Yes, based on the last years that can be treated as complete: filings rose from 273 in 2021 to 293 in 2024, a 7% increase. Figures for 2025 and 2026 look lower, but that reflects the roughly 18-month lag between filing and publication, not a real slowdown, so those recent years should not be read as a declining trend. The field peaked in raw annual volume in 2018 at 401 filings and has held a broadly similar range since, rather than falling off after that peak.
What technology areas dominate BCI patent claims?
A61B (diagnosis and surgery) covers 40.1% of the 4,614 records in scope, the single largest IPC subclass, followed by G06F (electric digital data processing) at 30.2% and A61N (electrotherapy and radiation therapy) at 29.3%. A63F (games and amusements) covers 17.4%, reflecting the consumer and entertainment branch of BCI filing. Optical systems, image processing, implants and AI-model classes each sit in the 7-9% range, meaning software-driven decoding and AI-based interpretation are comparatively under-claimed relative to signal acquisition and therapeutic delivery.
Disclaimer. This analysis is based on Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent records and is provided for general information and reference only. Patent data carries inherent limitations — recent filings are under-counted because of publication lag, counts may be on a record or family basis, classification and applicant-name data may contain errors or duplicates, and the underlying search query defines the scope shown — so the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing here is an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Verify independently and review with qualified patent and legal professionals before acting on it.
Method: Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Brain-Computer Interfaces Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish. Every share divides by all records in scope. Data: Patsnap Eureka. See the full landscape report.