GLOSSARY
What is a Patent Landscape?
Everything you need to know about patent landscape analysis—what it is, why it matters, and how AI makes it faster.
Definition
A patent landscape (also called a patent map) is a comprehensive analysis of patents within a specific technology area, showing who is filing, where innovation is happening, and how the competitive landscape is structured.
What a Patent Landscape Includes
A typical patent landscape analysis covers:
- Patent inventory: All relevant patents in a technology area
- Assignee analysis: Who owns the patents and their portfolio sizes
- Technology segmentation: How patents break down by sub-technology
- Geographic distribution: Where patents are filed and active
- Filing trends: How patenting activity has changed over time
- Citation analysis: Which patents are most influential
- White space identification: Areas with low patent activity
Types of Patent Landscapes
- Technology landscapes: Map a broad technology area
- Competitive landscapes: Focus on specific competitors
- Freedom-to-operate landscapes: Identify potential blocking patents
- Due diligence landscapes: Evaluate acquisition targets
How AI Transforms Landscape Analysis
Traditional landscapes required weeks of manual categorization. AI-powered tools can generate initial landscapes in minutes by automatically categorizing patents based on their content, identifying relationships, and visualizing the results interactively.