1. Microsoft

Patent value: 185,004

Microsoft (MSFT) is often mocked for being unimaginative. It deserves better, based on its intellectual property. The company's patent portfolio has tripled over the past five years, to more than 2,000 awards in 2008. Its most valuable patents are in data processing, file structure and transfer, computer graphics, and information presentation, which altogether account for two-thirds of the company's active patent portfolio.