The Hidden Patterns Behind 5 Years of Patent Assertions

Patent assertion isn’t random. It follows repeatable patterns that show up years before litigation. This report breaks them down so you can build portfolios intentionally, not retroactively.

Why This Data Matters

Most patent portfolios are managed top-down by filing volume, budgets, and historical spend. But enforcement outcomes are shaped bottom-up, at the patent level. Over the past five years, a relatively small subset of patents has driven the majority of litigation and licensing leverage. Those patents share measurable characteristics, in how they're drafted, prosecuted, extended, acquired, and timed. This report distills those patterns so IP teams can answer a critical question: Are we building the right patent portfolio?

What You'll Discover

Which patents actually get asserted and why most never do
Why continuations dominate asserted portfolios (and when they matter most)
Where litigation risk is rising and quietly falling
Why acquisition plays a bigger role than organic filing
Why forward citations help but often mislead
When patents typically become leverage assets (hint: not early)

The Uncomfortable Truth About Patent Strategy

Many patents that eventually get asserted look ordinary when they're filed. The difference isn't obvious from a single application, a citation count, or a filing budget. It only becomes visible when you compare thousands of patents across time, industries, and outcomes. By the time assertion happens, the decisions that mattered most are already locked in.

From Insight to Action

Seeing the patterns is only the first step. The real advantage comes from acting on them early, while claims can still be refined, families extended, gaps filled, and portfolios reshaped. ArcPrime applies the same litigation-backed signals from this report to live portfolios, helping patent teams:

Evaluate enforcement readiness at the patent level
Decide where continuations actually add leverage
Identify acquisition targets that fill real gaps
Prune low-risk assets without weakening coverage
Align portfolios with where disputes and licensing actually happen
Manage portfolios proactively so protection compounds over time, not just at filing

The report shows what matters. ArcPrime helps you do something about it.

See the Patterns Before They Matter

Download the report to understand how asserted patents differ and why portfolio strategy works best when it starts at the patent.

Or request a demo to see how ArcPrime applies these insights to your portfolio.