Konami is the king of patents in Japan’s game industry, being no. 1 at keeping rivals at bay 

According to a recent study, Konami Group Corporation holds the highest number of patents that have been cited as grounds for rejection of other companies’ patents in Japan. Bandai Namco Entertainment and Sony Interactive Entertainment came in second and third respectively, also proving dominant in the industry.  

The report by Patent Result, a company that collects and analyses information on patents and corporations, was published on June 28, and uses data regarding patent examination processes performed in the year 2022 to rank companies in the Japanese gaming and entertainment industry. 

The criterion for the ranking was the number of patents a company possesses that were cited as grounds for rejection of a competitor company’s patent registration. In other words, this study reveals which companies are the current leaders in development and registration of new technologies.  

In such a ranking, Konami Group Corporation, the company behind games such as the Silent Hill series and Metal Gear series, came in first place with 343 of their patents having blocked competitors’ patents during 2022. Bandai Namco Entertainment was close with 325 patents, and Sony Interactive Entertainment came in third with 236 such patents. 

Konami is otherwise known for their developed R&D and high number of patents, and according to another study, they have registered an average of 101 patents a year in the last five years, and a total of 1,568 patents in the period from 2013 to May 2023. 

Konami is also rigorous in protecting their intellectual property, as they famously filed a patent infringement-related lawsuit against Cygames for technologies used in Uma Musume Pretty Derby, seeking around $29.2 million in damages. (Related Article). 

According to Patent Result, in 2022 Konami Group Corporation and its numerous patents was the biggest headache to companies such as Capcom, Bandai Namco Entertainment and COLOPL , with Capcom having no less than 30 patent applications rejected on the grounds of infringing Konami-owned patents.