Find out which global patent assignees occupy a place in the top-ten US rankings for most utility patents (grants) in 2015.

Only one assignee dropped off the list, was it:

a) Panasonic, b) Qualcomm, or c) Google ?

Answer:  a) Panasonic

Panasonic dropped from #10 on the 2014 list, to #18 in 2015. Qualcomm and Google rose in the rankings, each up 3 places.

The top-ten rankings for 2015 are as follows, (with position change from 2014 shown in italics):

1. IBM (No change)
2. Samsung (No change)
3. Canon (No change)
4. Qualcomm (Up 3 places)
5. Google (Up 3 place)
6. Toshiba (No change)
7. Sony (Down 3 places)
8. LG Electronics (Up 1 place)
9. Intel (Up 7 places)
10. Microsoft (Down 5 places)

Source: http://www.ificlaims.com/index.php?page=misc_top_50_2015