The top patent earner in Missouri last year

Tech and engineering firms were the most inventive patent winners across the U.S. last year—a year marked by growing tension with foreign nations racing to bring world-changing tech like artificial intelligence and space satellites to market.

Nearly 160,000 patents were assigned across the U.S. in 2022, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. When a patent is awarded through the USPTO, the individual or company that it's given to has the license to a temporary monopoly on business for that specific product or service. Companies have used patent law for decades to defend their intellectual property—including designs and devices against competitors that might attempt to profit off of stolen ideas.

ClickUp used data from the Patent and Trademark Office to find the top patent earner in Missouri based on the number of patents assigned in USPTO's fiscal year 2022, which ran from Oct. 1, 2021, through Sept. 30, 2022. This analysis was part of a broader national report on the top patent earner in every state. The data looks at the assignees for both regular utility and design patents and was limited to assignees that received at least 10 patents within the year.

Monsanto Technology LLC was the top patent-earner in Missouri last year. It was issued 298 patents from the USPTO within the state, comprising 49.7% of all patents considered for the statewide analysis. Genetically modified crop producer and pesticide manufacturer Monsanto was assigned patents for new varieties of soybean crops and methods for controlling insect infestations in plants.

Nationally, the vast majority of top patent earners last year were private organizations. Private spending on research and development by U.S. companies has skyrocketed since the economic downturn of the late 2000s. In 2020, it was estimated to total $531 billion, according to the latest available data from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. But nine colleges and universities rose to the top in their respective states for patent filing, as well.

Read on to see who else scooped up the rights to the most cutting-edge tech in Missouri last year.

#10. Benson Hill Seeds, Inc.
- Patents issued: 10

#9. Silgan Dispensing Systems Corp.
- Patents issued: 14

#8. Watlow Electric Manufacturing Co.
- Patents issued: 16

#7. Edgewell Personal Care Brands, LLC
- Patents issued: 19

#6. The Curators of the University of Missouri
- Patents issued: 25

#5. Express Scripts Strategic Development, Inc.
- Patents issued: 27

#4. Seminis Vegetable Seeds, Inc.
- Patents issued: 50

#3. Washington University
- Patents issued: 54

#2. Charter Communications Operating, LLC
- Patents issued: 87

#1. Monsanto Technology LLC
- Patents issued: 298