Panasonic 2008 Annual Report Download - page 44

Download and view the complete annual report

Please find page 44 of the 2008 Panasonic annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.

Page out of 114

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • 32
  • 33
  • 34
  • 35
  • 36
  • 37
  • 38
  • 39
  • 40
  • 41
  • 42
  • 43
  • 44
  • 45
  • 46
  • 47
  • 48
  • 49
  • 50
  • 51
  • 52
  • 53
  • 54
  • 55
  • 56
  • 57
  • 58
  • 59
  • 60
  • 61
  • 62
  • 63
  • 64
  • 65
  • 66
  • 67
  • 68
  • 69
  • 70
  • 71
  • 72
  • 73
  • 74
  • 75
  • 76
  • 77
  • 78
  • 79
  • 80
  • 81
  • 82
  • 83
  • 84
  • 85
  • 86
  • 87
  • 88
  • 89
  • 90
  • 91
  • 92
  • 93
  • 94
  • 95
  • 96
  • 97
  • 98
  • 99
  • 100
  • 101
  • 102
  • 103
  • 104
  • 105
  • 106
  • 107
  • 108
  • 109
  • 110
  • 111
  • 112
  • 113
  • 114

cross-licensing agreements*1 helps increase business com-
petitiveness. Matsushita also participates in patent pools*2
for intellectual property rights related to technical standards
for digital products, enabling the effective use of intellectual
property rights to grow business, through such means as
creating and expanding markets.
During fiscal 2008, the Company continued to utilize
international patent filing under the Patent Cooperation
Treaty (PCT), which provides for the cost-effective and
efficient acquisition of patents in multiple counties, in line
with its global expansion. As a result, in 2007 Matsushita
was ranked number one in the world, the first time for a
Japanese firm, in international patent filings. The Company
also maintained its lead in patent applications in Japan,
while ranking high in overseas patent applications in major
regions. At the same time, Matsushita raised the quality of its
intellectual property rights from the standpoint of enforce-
ment, and also enhanced asset efficiency by assessing the
enforceability of intellectual property rights in its portfolio.
As part of its strategy to address counterfeit products
from China and other counties, Matsushita continued to
work in cooperation with both its industry peers and local
authorities to identify infringements at a variety of stages,
including manufacture, wholesale, retail and customs
clearance. The Company also worked to protect its con-
sumers and brands through active participation in the
International Intellectual Property Protection Forum (IIPPF),
a public-private alliance, such as by taking part in the
government-private joint mission to China for intellectual
property protection.
In fiscal 2009, Matsushita will continue to strengthen its
overseas intellectual property capabilities with an eye
towards expanding business in BRICs and other emerging
markets, as well as in developed regions such as the U.S.,
Japan and Europe. It will also help enhance global product
competitiveness by increasing its focus on strengthening
intellectual property search capabilities and developing
specialists in intellectual property, both of which support a
highly efficient intellectual property strategy.
*1 Mutual licensing of patents by patent holders.
*2 Scheme in which multiple patent holders bring their patents, or the rights
to license their patents, into an organization, enabling members of the
organization and other interested parties to obtain necessary licenses
through the organization.
Rank Company Name No. of
Filings
1 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Japan) 2,100
2 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (The Netherlands) 2,041
3 Siemens AG (Germany) 1,644
4 Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. (China) 1,365
5 Robert Bosch GmbH (Germany) 1,146
6 Toyota Motor Corporation (Japan) 997
7 QUALCOMM Incorporated (U.S.) 974
8 Microsoft Corporation (U.S.) 845
9 Motorola, Inc. (U.S.) 824
10 Nokia Corporation (Finland) 822
11 BASF AG (Germany) 810
12 3M Innovative Properties Company (U.S.) 769
13 LG Electronics Inc. (Republic of Korea) 719
14 Fujitsu Limited (Japan) 708
15 Sharp Corporation (Japan) 702
16 NEC Corporation (Japan) 626
17 Intel Corporation (U.S.) 623
18 PIONEER CORPORATION (Japan) 611
19 International Business Machines Corporation (U.S.) 606
20 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (Republic of Korea) 598
2007 World Ranking of International Patent Filings
Under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
Intellectual Property (IP) Rights for Protecting Products
Secure a
competitive edge for
products leveraging
various intellectual
property rights
Patents
Advanced technological
inventions
•฀PDPs
•฀D/A฀converters
•฀฀Technology฀to฀lower฀
electricity consumption
•฀฀Inventions฀that฀enable฀
smaller and lower-cost
products
Utility model rights
Technological concept
•฀฀Easily฀opened฀and฀closed฀
structure
Designs
External appearance in
terms of shape, pattern
and color
•฀Design
•฀Packaging
Trademarks
A mark affixed to a
product
Copyrights
Creative expression of
ideas
•฀฀Program฀for฀systems฀control฀
microprocessors
42 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. 2008