Cloud and network security patents: who is filing, what they claim, and where the field is still open
Filing peaked in 2021 at 1,724 records and has since eased to 1,339 by 2024, a 22% pullback over that three-year span — not a collapse, but a cooling from the post-pandemic surge. Filings rose from 1,174 in 2017 to a peak of 1,724 in 2021, then eased to 1,339 by 2024 — a 22% decline over that three-year window. 2025 and 2026 figures are still filling in under normal publication lag and should not be read as a further drop.
- 1INTEL CORP3.5%
- 2CISCO TECHNOLOGY INC3.1%
- 3ORACLE INT CORP2.9%
- 4AMAZON TECH INC2.9%
- 5MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC2.5%
See the full cloud & network security 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 on this landscape
Who holds the most cloud and network security patents?
The leading assignee in this dataset holds 1,227 records, well ahead of the field, but the gap narrows quickly through the ranking — fifth place holds 884 and tenth place 495. The top 5 assignees combined account for only 14.9% of all 35,350 records in scope, so leadership at the top does not translate into control of the field. A freedom-to-operate review needs to look well beyond the largest names.
Is cloud and network security patenting slowing down?
Filing volume peaked in 2021 at 1,724 records and eased to 1,339 by 2024, a 22% decline over that three-year span. That is a real pullback from an unusually active period rather than a sign of exhaustion, and it should not be read as evidence the field is closing. Figures for 2025 and 2026 are still incomplete because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months.
What technology areas dominate cloud and network security patents?
Digital information transmission (H04L) appears in 41.7% of the 35,350 records, and electric digital data processing (G06F) appears in 27.5%, making these two IPC subclasses the backbone of the field. Wireless networking (H04W) and AI-model claims (G06N) trail well behind at 7.9% and 3.6% respectively. Because a single record can carry several IPC codes, these percentages add up to more than 100% and should not be treated as a strict pie chart.
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 Cloud & Network Security 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.