Nike holds 45 structural-color patents to Toyota’s 20. They build the same nanoscale optics filter, then point it in opposite directions.
Bolt Threads killed Mylo and MycoWorks went bankrupt, yet US mycelium patents hit an all-time high in 2025. The reason: Hermès and Nike are quietly filing their own.
Two patent clusters that barely knew about each other in 2000 — footwear and consumer electronics — have closed 16% of their distance by 2025. Nike has been patenting sensor-embedded sneakers at the rate of a mid-sized electronics company. Apple has three of its own.