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Cloudflare Inc. Patent Portfolio Analysis

  • 5 min read
  • February 27, 2026

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Disclaimer: This report has been updated based on the latest available data 7th January 2026. The information is provided for reference only and does not represent any opinion, recommendation, or endorsement.

Overview

Cloudflare, Inc. is a U.S.-based cloud infrastructure and cybersecurity company. Its patent portfolio spans 8 jurisdictions and is primarily focused on networking, software, and distributed systems technologies.

Key Metrics:

    • Total Patents: 424
    • Simple Families: 165
    • Extended Families: 161
    • Jurisdictions Covered: 8
    • Litigated Patents: 0
    • Challenged Patents: 0

Asset Status:

    • Active: 397
    • Active Grants: 366
    • Active Applications: 31
    • Inactive: 24
    • Expired: 1
    • Abandoned Applications: 23

Jurisdictional Distribution

The United States represents the majority of Cloudflare’s patent portfolio, with additional filings across WIPO and select international jurisdictions.

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cloudflare Jurisdictional Distribution

Jurisdiction 

Total 

United States (US) 

386 

WIPO (WO) 

21 

European Patent Office (EP) 

9 

Australia (AU) 

1 

Canada (CA) 

1 

United Kingdom (GB) 

1 

Israel (IL) 

1 

Japan (JP) 

1 

Total Patents: 424 

Technological Distribution 

Networking represents the largest share of Cloudflare’s patent portfolio, followed by Software and Computer Systems and Components. 

Technological Distribution
  • Networking: 314 
  • Software: 93 
  • Computer Systems and Components: 17 
Patent Filing Activity by Publication/Issue Year 

Year 

Publications 

Grants 

2016 

4 

12 

2017 

2 

31 

2018 

0 

28 

2019 

1 

32 

2020 

5 

39 

2021 

3 

35 

2022 

6 

39 

2023 

3 

40 

2024 

10 

44 

2025 

13 

38 

2026 

2 

0 
Ownership and Acquisition 
  • Acquired Patents: 42 
  • Originally Assigned Patents: 382 
  • Sources of Acquired Patents: 
  • Operating Companies: 36 
  • Other: 1 
Citations 
Top Citing Assignees (Forward Citations) 
  • CloudFlare Incorporated – 119 
  • International Business Machines Corporation – 30 
  • Amazon.com, Inc. – 29 
  • KDDI Corporation – 25 
  • Microsoft Corporation – 24 
  • Cisco Systems, Inc. – 23 
  • Tencent Holdings Limited – 17 
  • Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd. – 15 
  • Bank of America Corp. – 14 
  • Hillcrest First LLC – 12 
Top Cited Assignees (Backward Citations) 
  • Cisco Systems, Inc. – 213 
  • Microsoft Corporation – 211 
  • International Business Machines Corporation – 202 
  • CloudFlare Incorporated – 200 
  • Akamai Technologies, Inc. – 151 
  • Broadcom, Inc. – 146 
  • Alphabet Inc. – 143 
  • Oracle Corporation – 131 
  • Nokia Corporation – 124 
  • Amazon.com, Inc. – 118 
Top Cited Patents (Forward Citations) 
  • US8613089B1 – 515 
  • US8990357B2 – 196 
  • US10650166B1 – 179 
  • US8327128B1 – 178 
  • US9049247B2 – 166 
  • US8448245B2 – 142 
  • US9634994B2 – 141 
  • US8285808B1 – 138 
  • US9049244B2 – 130 
  • US8782774B1 – 118 
Top Citing Patents (Backward Citations) 
  • US12001504B2 – 276 
  • US11675872B2 – 275 
  • US11494460B2 – 273 
  • US11321419B2 – 269 
  • US11244024B2 – 268 
  • US10984068B2 – 257 
  • US10853443B2 – 251 
  • US10855798B2 – 245 
  • US12455936B2 – 243 
  • US12455937B2 – 242 
Litigation Activities 
  • Active Cases: 2 
  • Inactive Cases: 11 
  • Appeals: 3 
  • Patents in Litigation: 15 
  • Petitions: 8 
  • Reexaminations: 1 
  • Related Parties: 9 
Notable M&A (With Verified Figures) 
  • S2 Systems Corporation (2020) – Cloudflare acquired S2 Systems, a browser isolation technology company, to strengthen its zero-trust and remote browser isolation capabilities. 
  • Vectrix (2023) – Acquired to enhance SaaS security posture management (SSPM) capabilities within Cloudflare’s Zero Trust platform. 
  • Area 1 Security (2022, ~US$162 million) – Added phishing-resistant email security technology to Cloudflare’s security portfolio. 
Business Performance 

For fiscal year 2024, Cloudflare reported revenue of approximately US$1.3 billion, reflecting continued growth in subscription-based cloud security and performance services.  

The company generates revenue primarily from recurring subscription services across its global network platform. Quarterly results in 2024–2025 reflected continued expansion in enterprise customer adoption and security-focused offerings. 

Leadership (Current Year) 
  • Matthew Prince – Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer 
  • Michelle Zatlyn – Co-Founder & President 
  •  Thomas Seifert – Chief Financial Officer 
Headquarters 

San Francisco, California, United States 

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Frequently Asked Questions

Cloudflare owns 424 patents across 8 jurisdictions. 

Cloudflare holds the most patents in the United States, with 386 total filings.

Cloudflare’s patent portfolio is primarily focused on Networking (314 patents) and Software (93 patents). 

Cloudflare has 397 active patents, including 366 active grants and 31 active applications. 

Cloudflare has 15 patents in litigation, with 2 active cases and 11 inactive cases.

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