In a report released by MIC (Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute), a Taipei-based ICT research institute, the top 10 most important telematics patents include: (1) US 6,824,281, (2) US 6,711,474, (3) US 6,738,697, (4) US 20050192727, (5) US 7,949,529, (6) US 7,027,808, (7) US 7,004,593, (8) US 6,882,287, (9) US 20100094496, and (10) US 20040122735.

"Based on our finding, US-based Magna Electronic owns 3 out of the top 10 most important telematics-related patents," says David Chen, MIC's senior analyst with expertise in patent analytics. "On top of that, the company has a relatively strong R&D intensity, mainly due to a higher number of citations and self-citations compared to the other assignees."

Not surprisingly, automobile and automobile parts manufacturers tend to own a relatively high number of patents as they have been developing vehicle-related technologies for a long while and have been putting considerable effort into the development of telematics and associated technologies and standards. However, it is worth noting that in anticipation of growing telematics market potential, various US ICT companies like Broadcom, Qualcomm, and AT&T are also investing extensively into telematics-related communication technologies and vehicle networking.

As telematics is expected to lead the future, the importance of US, Japanese and European companies who own most of telematics patents is going to continue influencing the development of global automobile industry. Therefore, it merits a closer look at how those companies do to expand in the telematics market.