Pentax 2007 Annual Report Download - page 24

Intellectual Property Management
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1. Objectives of the Hoya Group’s Intellectual
Property Strategy
For the Hoya Group, a fundamental objective is to make the fullest
possible use of intellectual property in order to bolster the
competitive strengths of its global businesses.
● Patent Prosecution for Obtaining Patent Rights
To ensure that its patent prosecution for obtaining patent rights is
as efficient as possible, Hoya always relies on close teamwork
between technical development managers and intellectual property
managers. It aims to secure all necessary intellectual property
rights, from the initial stage of the development of leading-edge
technologies and including peripheral technology, applied
technology and alternative technology. In relation to those fields in
which Hoya commands a leading position, Hoya aims to accelerate
the process of securing patents in leading-edge fields. In business
areas that are in mature markets, Hoya concentrates on promoting
efficient patent prosecution by preventing infringement of the
patents held by other companies. To achieve these ends, careful
technical search and observation of patent information on other
companies is implemented and Hoya promotes the patent
prosecution that is most appropriate for each different business
environment. Additionally, given the increasing speed of the
globalization of business, Hoya is devoting itself to the
implementation of global patent management systems that will be
coordinated with the move of its production bases in Japan and
trading partners into international markets.
● Objectives of Licensing Out
The scale of each of Hoya’s individual businesses is not large, but
Hoya strives to improve its competitiveness in each respective
market. Hoya focuses on effectively and fully utilizing the technical
patents that are the cornerstone of the competitive position its
businesses enjoy. This means there are cases in which Hoya
might assign licenses to third parties: for instance, where it is
appropriate to sign cross-licensing agreements, or where Hoya
can expect licensing-out to result in an expansion of the overall
market, or when changes are witnessed in terms of Hoya’s
competitiveness in the market (e.g., where such an action is
beneficial to Hoya from a strategic business perspective).
Strategic moves like these can enable Hoya to make the most of
its intellectual property. Such a licensing-out, however, by
regulation requires the approval of Global Headquarters and the
strictest management.
● Prevention of Imitation and Infringement
Hoya maintains a constant watch on the market to ensure that its
patented technologies are not imitated by third parties. When its
technologies are indeed being imitated, warnings are issued and
where necessary, appropriate steps such as taking legal action are
put in motion. Hoya also respects patents held by others. It
affords them appropriate value and takes pains to ensure that it
does not infringe upon third-party patents, as one aspect of its
efforts to enhance the efficiency of its patent management.
● Utilization of Third-Party Patents and
Technologies
Hoya does not rely excessively on its own proprietary
technologies and patents. If, following careful technical search and
consideration of the available technologies, it finds that third
parties hold superior technologies, patents, or other advantages,
and when Hoya decides that it would be efficient to use them in
commercializing a product, Hoya takes steps to seek licenses to
use third-party patents or introduce their technologies.
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Ever since its establishment, the Hoya Group’s drive to create innovative technologies has ensured growth for the
company. In all areas, from the high-tech world of semiconductors and digital devices to the eye care business
based on eyeglass lenses and intraocular lenses, Hoya strives to maximize corporate value by leveraging its
superior technical skills and competitive strengths. Starting out as a specialist manufacturer of optical lenses,
then moving onward into glass composition and molding, and later establishing and integrating polishing, coating
and minutely detailed processing technologies, Hoya now offers many leading-edge products that no other
company can imitate. Hoya’s intellectual property strategy protects its proprietary technologies. Hoya believes
that when business strategies and technical development efforts work together as a unified whole, intellectual
property strategy also becomes a key management strategy for supporting continued growth for years to come.