Panasonic 2011 Annual Report Download - page 38

Panasonic Annual Report 2011
Financial
Highlights Highlights Top Message Group Strategies Corporate
Governance
Financial and
Corporate Data
R&D Design Intellectual
Property
Segment
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page 37
In order to maximize business and product value,
and to better ensure sustainable growth, Panasonic
recognizes the critical need to efficiently secure
global IP rights over those new technologies,
services, brands, and designs that serve as the
source of its value. This is particularly true for
markets that are confronting increasingly intense
global competition. Coupled with the important
nature of a domestic network, IP offices are
maintained in China, the U.S., and Europe. Relying
on local staff who work in tandem with their
counterparts in Japan, Panasonic engages in
activities that best reflect local conditions.
Considerable weight is placed on fostering IP
personnel, who possess both management and
specialist skills. IP staff are required to undergo OJT
as well as internal and external multifaceted training.
This training is by no means restricted to IP
personnel and is tailored to encompass
wide-ranging employee needs. Engineers are, for
example, provided with IP know-how that has
practical application to their daily tasks and duties.
Senior executives undertake internal training to
enhance their IP management skills. Furthermore,
Panasonic maintains an IP rights database that
allows engineers themselves to research prior art
technologies at their own R&D workplaces.
Panasonic strives to unify its R&D and IP activities.
Panasonic is active in its efforts to protect brand
rights and prevent counterfeits in all countries in
which it operates. The Company acquires the
appropriate trademark right in a particular country
after careful consideration of any discrepancies in
that country’s trademark system. The Company’s
basic “Panasonic” corporate brand trademark is
registered in approximately 190 countries
worldwide. In addition, trademarks for such
product sub-brands as VIERA are held in most
major global markets.
In recent years, Panasonic has been placing
particular emphasis on countermeasures to
prevent counterfeits. In this context, the Company
established a designated team led mainly by local
staff in China, and is implementing measures while
collaborating with Chinese government agencies. In
the event a counterfeit product is identified, the
Intellectual Property Strategies
- Striving to Maximize Business and Product Value
Rank
1
2
3
2008 2009 2010
Panasonic Corporation
(Japan)
1,729
Panasonic Corporation
(Japan)
1,891
Panasonic Corporation
(Japan)
2,154
Robert Bosch GmbH
(Germany)
1,586
Qualcomm Inc.
(the U.S.)
1,677
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
(China)
1,737
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
(China)
1,847
ZTE Corporation
(China)
1,863
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
(the Netherlands)
1,551
Global Patents Held by Region* (As of March 31, 2011)
Corporate Brand
Sub-Brands (Examples)
appropriate report is lodged with the relevant
enforcement authority. The Company then strongly
pursues the seizure and disposal of all counterfeit
products, the imposition of penalties and fines as
well as the revocation of business licenses.
Moreover, Panasonic coordinates closely with other
companies and the Japanese government.
As of March 31, 2011, Panasonic held 5,143
trademarks in Japan and 13,517 trademarks
overseas.
Design is a core element in the sale and brand
image of each product. Accordingly, Panasonic
strives to secure and maintain design rights for
all newly released products. The Company is
also paying particular attention to securing
component and package design patent rights.
Furthermore, Panasonic has assigned a design
patent intellectual property right specialist to areas
engaged directly in design development activities.
This specialist is charged with the responsibility of
examining the existence or otherwise of any
competitor prior design patents on a daily basis, and
to ensure that the Company does not violate another
company’s design patent rights.
Reflecting business growth in such regions as
Asia and the Middle East, the number of issues
relating to the counterfeiting of designs has
increased in recent years. With this in mind,
related internal departments are coordinating to
strengthen counterfeit countermeasures aimed at
protecting the Company’s rights in each country.
As of March 31, 2011, Panasonic held 6,672
design patent rights in Japan and 7,393 design
rights overseas.
In addition to the developed regions and
countries of Europe and the U.S., Panasonic is
stepping up its patent application activities in
such strategically important emerging countries
as China and India. As a part of its overall
overseas strategy, the Company is also
accelerating applications for patents in multiple
countries simultaneously under the Patent
Cooperation Treaty (PCT). Through these means,
Panasonic is pursuing greater efficiency and
quality in the acquisition of overseas patents.
As a measure of the Company’s success in
its endeavors, Panasonic was ranked first in the
world for the second consecutive year in 2010
for international patent filings under PCT. The
Company retained its high level of patent
applications in most major markets both in and
outside Japan.
As of March 31, 2011, Panasonic held
41,630 patents in Japan and 59,002 patents
overseas maintaining its pre-eminent position in
the world for intellectual property rights held.
Counterfeit Countermeasures Undertaken to Protect Panasonic’s Trademarks and Designs
Sever the Counterfeit Supply Chain
Sever at the source Eliminate causes Halt delivery and receipt Halt sales
Police at the country
of production
Negotiation at international
trade fairs and related events
Import and export customs control Police markets
Production Order Sales
(wholesale/retail)
Import and export
Countermeasures
at production bases
Countermeasures in markets
where infractions occur
Consumer
Strengthening Countermeasures against Counterfeiting
Trademarks
From Products through Components to Packaging
Ranked No. 1 in the World in International Patent Applications Design
Patent
Panasonic takes full advantage of its
intellectual property (IP) rights to both protect
and secure the competitive advantage of its
businesses and products. In this regard, we
actively promote global-scale IP activities.
Intellectual Property
Trends in International Patent Filing World Rankings
under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
* The graph depicts the number of patents held by Panasonic and its principal
subsidiaries (excluding SANYO, PEW and PanaHome).
Plasma and LCD TVs Digital cameras
100,632
patents
41%
24%
14%
11%
10%
Japan
Others
BRICs
Europe
The U.S.