Epson 2007 Annual Report Download - page 38

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Patent Strategies
Programs to Increase Patent Filings
As a result of Epson’s active efforts to boost filings in
countries around the world, the Company ranked third
in Japan and thirteenth in the United States in the
number of registered patents in 2006.
As a base for these patent registrations, Epson
initiated the Brilliant Patent (BP) program in 2005 in a
bid to make further qualitative improvements to its IP
capabilities and implemented measures to strengthen
the functionality of both its IP organization and systems.
In 2007 and beyond, Epson will take concrete steps to
further reinforce its IP-related organization and systems.
In seeking to boost its patent portfolio management
and to put in place a strategy to make full use of its IP,
Epson’s aim is to create powerful IP backup to help it
achieve its mid-range business plan targets.
The Dolphin Program
The Dolphin Program, initiated in 2002 with the
purpose of boosting Epson’s IP capability, has yielded
many benefits, from the exploration of development
themes to support for the building of a strategic patent
network. A number of efforts have helped bring this
about, including new invention discovery, prior-art
searches, and research of patent filing trends at other
companies in critical areas of development. As a result,
R&D and patent filings picked up and awareness of IP
has increased throughout the Company, especially
among engineers.
Furthermore, to fully support the technological
development that provides Epson with its competitive
edge and to create and foster ideas that lead to the
development of new businesses, Epson is stepping up its
efforts in IP, including those in patent information analysis,
and is nurturing innovative new ways of thinking.
Epson’s strategy is to build up intellectual property (IP) in each of its businesses to an
industry-leading level, and for IP to contribute to earnings. To assist in this, Epson has
moved IP-related departments to the Epson Innovation Center, a new R&D site for next-
generation printers and projectors, where IP experts will work closely with R&D
departments.
36 Seiko Epson Corporation
Registered Patents in Japan (2006)
Source: Epson, compiled from datareleased by the Japan Patent Office
(up to December 31, 2006).
Registered Patents in the United States (2006)
Source: IFI Claims
1International Business Machines Corporation 3,651
2Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. 2,453
3Canon Inc. 2,378
4Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. 2,273
5Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. 2,113
6Intel Corporation 1,962
7Sony Corporation 1,810
8Hitachi, Ltd. 1,749
9Toshiba Corporation 1,717
10 Micron Technology, Inc. 1,612
11 Fujitsu Limited 1,513
12 Microsoft Corporation 1,463
13 Seiko Epson Corporation 1,205
14 General Electric Company 1,051
15 Fujifilm Corporation 918
16 Infineon Technologies AG 904
17 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. 901
18 Texas Instruments Incorporated 884
19 Siemens AG 857
20 Honda Motor Co., Ltd. 836
1Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. 3,912
2Toshiba Corporation 2,878
3Seiko Epson Corporation 2,448
4Hitachi, Ltd. 2,326
5Mitsubishi Electric Corporation 2,254
6Canon Inc. 2,224
7Sony Corporation 1,937
7Denso Corporation 1,937
9Honda Motor Co., Ltd. 1,886
10 Fujitsu Limited 1,859
11 Ricoh Company, Ltd. 1,749
12 Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. 1,679
13 Sharp Corporation 1,607
14 Toyota Motor Corporation 1,404
15 Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. 1,354
16 Fujifilm Corporation 1,281
17 Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd. 1,118
18 Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation 1,097
19 Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. 878
20 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. 877