Broadcom was ranked second on The Patent Board’s quarterly semiconductor industry scorecard, a two-place jump from last quarter that surpassed both Intel and IBM, which previously held the top spot.  Samsung placed first in the most recent report.

Broadcom also was awarded the second-highest “technology strength” rating by The Patent Board out of the 50 ranked semiconductor companies, a measure of overall strength of a company’s patent portfolio factoring in both quality and quantity.

One of Broadcom’s hallmarks is …