Suntory Holdings’ parent company filed the most patent applications related to beer and cider in North America in the year to the end of June.

Kotobuki Realty Co. lodged six applications in the period, analysis of patent activity in the sector shows.

US agricultural inputs group Corteva made five applications, GlobalData, Just Drinks’ parent, said.

Asahi Group Holdings and Molson Coors Beverage Co. both lodged four applications.

GlobalData’s Patent Analytics database contains global figures on the patents filed – and granted – by businesses across multiple sectors. Each patent is classified by theme, including those linked to areas such as the environment or health and wellness.

The environment was the most common theme of patent applications lodged in beer and cider in the 12 months to the end of June this year, with 14 requests made.

During the year to the end of June 2022, the environment was tied with health and wellness on 18 each.

Overall, the number of patent applications in North America covering beer and cider was down year on year.

Between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2022, some 119 applications were lodged, GlobalData said.

In the corresponding period a year later, that number dropped to 76, the research and intelligence group said.

Our signals coverage is powered by GlobalData’s Thematic Engine, which tags millions of data items across six alternative datasets — patents, jobs, deals, company filings, social media mentions and news — to themes, sectors and companies. These signals enhance our predictive capabilities, helping us to identify the most disruptive threats across each of the sectors we cover and the companies best placed to succeed.