South Korean tech giant Samsung could have more legal protection against patent infringement lawsuits in 2013 since it topped the number of mobile patents granted around the world in 2012 when over 7 million such patents were awarded.

However, the bulk of the patents or 72 per cent were given in the U.S., where Samsung's main competitor and often lawsuit opponent Apple is headquartered.

The changing face of technology is reflected in mobile patents now comprising 25 per cent of all patents granted in 2012 compared to only 5 per cent in 2001. The study, reported by Tech Crunch, explained the rapid growth of mobile patents to the invention of more smartphones and tablets the required services, hardware features, networking innovations and more.

Having patent rights have also proven to be profitable for tech firms who may be awarded licensing fees or damages by different courts in copyright infringement lawsuits now ongoing among the major tech firms such as Apple, Samsung, LG, Microsoft and even Chinese companies ZTE and Huawei.

The report stressed that Samsung has bumped off Nokia from the number one spot in terms of mobile patents granted. The other nine tech firms in the top 10 list are IBM, Sony, Microsoft, BlackBerry, LG, Qualcomm, Ericsson, Panasonic and Alcatel-Lucent and Nokia.

One of Samsung's newest courtroom opponents is LG, another South Korean tech firm, over the eye-tracking technology found in Galaxy S4 and Optimus G Prop. Samsung calls it the Smart Pause while LG labels it Smart Video which allows users to pause a playing video by merely looking away from the smartphone screen.

LG claims to have applied for the relevant patent for that technology in 2009 and for other eye-tracking inventions as far back as 2005, but Samsung denied violating LG's patent and insisted it used its own technology and different methods in implementing the eye pause.

Samsung has separately filed different patent lawsuits against LG for OLED and LCD patent breaches and have asked a South Korean court in December 2012 to ban all LG products that use these technologies.

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