The Thomson Reuters report announcing the 2012 listing stated, “Being recognized as a Top 100 Global Innovator is a prestigious distinction. It confirms an organization commitment to progressing innovation globally, to the protection of ideas and to the commercialization of inventions. The Thomson Reuters 2012 Top 100 Global Innovators are the world leaders in innovation.”
To compile the 2012 list, Thomson Reuters analyzed patent data, including the volume of patents filed, with all organizations having filed 100 or more innovative patents during the past three years. The report also considered how successful companies were in securing patents, the influence of patents in subsequent inventions and whether the patents were globally protected.