Konica Minolta 2004 Annual Report Download - page 38

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larly advanced and are the de facto world standard with a global
market share of 80%. The Konica Minolta Group continues to accumu-
late intellectual property by concentrating efforts in the development of
next-generation optical pickup lenses to secure a leading position now
and in the future.
5. R&D, Intellectual Property Organization, and Collaboration and
Alliances in R&D
Each business company in the Konica Minolta Group conducts its own
R&D with the aim of increasing earnings in existing businesses. The
corporate R&D function conducts R&D into core technologies for com-
mon use throughout the Group and works to develop and enhance cut-
ting-edge technologies. Through these means, we endeavor to create
new earnings for the overall Group.
The Group’s intellectual property function is conducted by the
Intellectual Property Center, which belongs to the corporate R&D func-
tion. The Intellectual Property Center, which serves as the Group’s
cross-functional organization, formulates intellectual property strategies,
as well as acquires, uses, and manages patents. Aiming for greater
sophistication, the Intellectual Property Center works closely with each
Group business on their R&D activities. In addition, liaison members in
the Intellectual Property Center coordinate with R&D personnel in Japan
and on the west coast of the United States to promote the intellectual
property strategies of the Group, each business company, and all R&D
bases.
The Konica Minolta Group aims to instill within its corporate culture
a greater emphasis on intellectual property in concert with the R&D
function. In this manner, we will secure vitality within our research activ-
ities prompting new innovations and discoveries. In order to accelerate
the development and reinforcement of technologies, we will also par-
ticipate in public studies, enter into R&D alliances with other compa-
nies, and with tertiary institutions. As one concrete example of a col-
laborative alliance in R&D, we are participating in the Technology
Research Association for Advanced Display Materials (TRADIM), a
national project related to liquid crystal display technology. The
Konica Minolta Group also participates in the Nano Construction
Photonics project promoted by Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture,
Sports, Science and Technology to encourage ties between industry,
academia, and government in urban areas. Through these efforts in
Japan and overseas, we are making significant contributions to the
development of technology and positioning the Company as a global
R&D player.
6. Acquisition and Management of Intellectual Property, Trade
Secret Management and Policies on Technical Leakage Prevention
The Konica Minolta Group has included intellectual property manage-
ment strategies in its three fundamental management strategies that
also include business and R&D management strategies. In its intellectu-
al property activities, the Konica Minolta Group strives to create mean-
ingful assets for business, leverage patents, and minimize risks in order
to contribute to overall business development. In accordance with the
rules and regulations of each Group company, including those regard-
ing industrial property rights management, the Konica Minolta Group
provides inventors with a payment when a patent is filed and regis-
tered, and also provides additional compensation linked to internal
usage and external licensing. We offer these incentives to encourage
the creation of inventions.
The Konica Minolta Group Compliance Guidelines, a basic code
of conduct for the Group, outlines fundamental concepts and policies
related to the protection of trade secrets and intellectual property rights.
Rules and regulations at each Group company such as Rules for Trade
Secret Management, state how to handle secret information. The
Konica Minolta Group aims to prevent the leakage of sensitive infor-
mation as well as internal secret information and secret information
received from outside parties by means of appropriate management.
7. Contribution of Licensing-Related Activities to Business
The Konica Minolta Group owns intellectual property rights to protect
its businesses, and effectively utilizes intellectual property rights as a
means to distinguish its products from those of its competitors, enhance
competitiveness, and secure earnings. From the viewpoint of ensuring
business continuity and freedom in R&D, the Konica Minolta Group
promotes cross-licensing strategies when it is necessary to use intellectu-
al property rights owned by other companies in fields where technolo-
gy is advancing and becoming more complex.
8. Patent Portfolio Contributions to Business
The Konica Minolta Group takes an aggressive approach to creating
and securing intellectual property through liaison activities with R&D, as
well as through the invention compensation system, which fairly evalu-
ates inventions and provides compensation for noteworthy inventions.
As a result, the Konica Minolta Group published 4,096 patent appli-
cations and ranked 12th1in terms of successful patent applications in
Japan in 2003.
Rankings of Patent Applications Published
’99 ’00 ’01 ’02 ’03
11
10
13
14
12
(Place rankings)