BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) has again been included in the IP & Thomson Reuters list of Top 100 Global Innovators for 2014. Thomson Reuters prepares the list after analyzing various patent related metrics, honoring the 100 most innovative organizations globally.
Not the first time for BlackBerry
The Canadian smartphone maker has once again reserved a spot, backed by its numerous smartphone patents. BlackBerry made to the list this year due to its efforts in reviving its business, and forming a separate business unit to look after its patent portfolio, and the recent launch of BlackBerry Passport smartphone, says the report.
BlackBerry was the only Canadian firm on the list. The list had several U.S. names like Xilinx, Google, Apple, AT&T, Oracle, and Microsoft. Exclusion of Facebook and Amazon was surprising. Majority of the companies on the list were from Japan.
Also, it is not the first time that BlackBerry has made it to the coveted list. BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) (earlier Research in Motion) is a renowned name in the wireless innovation, transformed the mobile industry with the launch of the BlackBerry in 1999. Products from the Canadian Smartphone maker have transformed the way in which people connect.
Innovators outperform others
The report mentions that the Thomson Reuters Top 100 Global Innovators list focus on the investment in innovation that drives economic success. These companies outperformed the S&P 500 for the fourth consecutive year, achieving a year over year weighted revenue growth of 12.6%, around two times that of the 6.85% growth by the S&P 500 companies.
The report noted that the 2014 top 100 global innovators posted collective revenues of $3.69 trillion last year. Moreover, R&D investment has more than doubled last year compared to their NASDAQ competitors. The Top 100 increased R&D spend by 16.9%, whereas overall NASDAQ R&D investment was up by 8.18% and S&P 500 up by only 3.97%.
Basil Moftah, president of Thomson Reuters IP & science, said, “The term innovation has become such an overused buzzword that it’s easy to lose sight of what real innovation looks like.” Moftah said that tracking the intellectual property portfolios and doing quantitative analysis makes it possible to know what companies are inventing the most and how aggressively they are protecting those innovations. The executive added that the companies on the list are the clear frontrunners in innovation, the organizations that are breaking new ground, creating new jobs and igniting the global economy.
