China leads drone patent volume but US matches quality as start-ups drive innovation: study

Despite China leading in the quantity of drone patent filings, the United States remains evenly matched in terms of quality, according to a new study. Chinese companies accounted for 44 percent of worldwide drone patent filings in 2024, compared to 17 percent for American firms, as reported by LexisNexis. However, when it comes to patent value, the two nations are on par, leaving their total global patent asset value for the technology roughly even.

DJI, the Shenzhen-based global industry leader, has seen its dominance in patent filings dwindle, holding only 4 percent of the industry's total patent assets. This is barely ahead of US firms such as Boeing and Amazon, which hold roughly 24 percent combined. DJI's patent portfolio has shrunk significantly since reaching a peak of around 24 percent in 2018, potentially due to factors like tighter US restrictions on drone imports, DJI's own strategic shift towards protecting selected technologies as trade secrets, or patent pruning.

With DJI retreating from the patent field, the stage is set for next-generation drone start-ups to drive innovation and establish market leadership, according to Marco Richter, managing director and chief commercial officer for LexisNexis Intellectual Property Solutions. The quality race, rather than the sheer volume of patents, appears to be the key predictor of future leaders in emerging technologies, Richter emphasized.

The stakes are high as the market for civil unmanned aerial systems is projected to reach a total of $150 billion between 2023 and 2032, while the military market could be worth $187 billion during the same period, based on market data from Teal Group. The technology supremacy contest between China and the US continues unabated, with the FCC considering whether to prohibit the marketing and import of certain authorized drone models.

Among the top 10 innovative drone start-ups, China has two – Shenzhen-based Autel Robotics at No. 1 and Beijing-based Zero Zero Robotics in fifth place – while the US has four, including Skydio, Valqari, Anduril, and Zipline. Japan, Israel, Switzerland, and Sweden round out the top 10 with one company each.