Idaho experiences surge in patent grants. No. 1 state in the country in patents per capita.

State received 1,645 patents in 2005, up from 73 granted 20 years ago, and officials link increase to Micron, HP

Twenty years ago, the number of patents granted to Idaho innovators barely warranted a mention. In 1985, the U.S. Patent and Trade Office approved 73 patents in Idaho.

Fast forward to 2005. The number grew to 1,645, according to a patent report released this week by Stoel Rives, a Boise law firm that handles patent law.

The surge correlates with the growth of two companies: Micron Technology and Hewlett-Packard. Not only are the two tech giants Idaho’s top employers, they’ve also positioned Idaho as the No. 1 state in the country in patents per capita.

Micron received 1,137 patents last year and HP received 255.

Ken Dey
Idaho Statesman

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