Multimodal model patents: who is filing, what they claim, and where the field is still open
Filings up 914% in three years. Annual filings went from 51 in 2021 to 517 in 2024, the last year the dataset treats as complete. Annual filings rose from 8 in 2017 to a peak of 664 in 2025, with 2026 (partial at 102) still filling in. The complete-year comparison the dataset supports is 2021 to 2024, where filings went from 51 to 517 -- a 914% increase. Treat 2025 and 2026 figures as a floor, not a ceiling, given the roughly 18-month lag between filing and publication.
- 1GOOGLE LLC11.1%
- 2GDM HOLDING LLC7.3%
- 3MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC5.6%
- 4ORACLE INT CORP2.8%
- 5SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD2.0%
See the full multimodal models 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 multimodal model patents
How many patents cover multimodal models?
This dataset identifies 1,592 published records matching multimodal model and cross-modal learning terms combined with core machine-learning claim language, covering filings from 2015 through the August 2026 data cut-off. The true current total is higher than this because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so recent filings are still working their way into the public record. Family-level counts, used here, are a fairer measure than raw document counts because they neutralise continuation filings and multi-jurisdiction duplicates.
Who are the leading companies filing multimodal model patents?
Filing is concentrated at the top: the leading assignee holds 177 records, and the top five combined hold 459 records, or 28.8% of the 1,592 records in scope. Beyond the top ten, which together hold 37.1% of the field, the ranking spreads across 100 companies each with a modest share. This pattern -- a clear leader, a handful of strong followers, then a long tail -- is typical of a fast-growing but not yet consolidated technology area.
Is multimodal model patent filing still growing?
Yes, sharply, through the last complete year the dataset supports: filings rose from 51 in 2021 to 517 in 2024, a 914% increase. Figures for 2025 and 2026 appear lower, but that reflects publication lag rather than an actual drop in filing activity, since it takes roughly 18 months for a filed application to publish. Any claim that the field is slowing should be checked against the 2021-2024 trend rather than the partial recent years.
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 Multimodal Models 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.