Yamaha 2006 Annual Report Download - page 36

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Patents
The graphs at right illustrate the number of
Yamaha patent applications published in Japan
and the number of patents owned at the end of
March 2006 by Yamaha business segments. The
musical instruments business accounts for over
40% of Yamaha’s published patent applications in
Japan and for more than 60% of all the patents
owned by the Company. Recently, growth in the
number of patent applications filed by the
Company in China has contributed to the number
of Yamaha-owned patents.
Patent strategy
Patent acquisition
Yamaha makes every effort to ensure that its
patent strategies are coherent with its business
development plans. In this respect, Yamaha has
formulated patent strategies which contribute to
two of the three policies central to its YSD50
medium-term business plan, namely, “achieving
sustainable, stable, and high earnings” and
“creating and developing innovative, high-quality
products and businesses.” Yamaha seeks to
meet the objective of the first policy by
continually obtaining patents in Japan and
abroad that help to protect its existing
businesses. To meet the objective of its second
policy, Yamaha is heightening efforts to foster
innovation and to promote patent acquisition
with respect to the innovation.
Yamaha has also identified priority themes for
patent acquisition in each business segment with
the intention of establishing a strong patent portfolio.
These target themes are summarized below.
Musical instruments
Network-related technologies, new-concept
musical instruments, professional audio-related
technologies
AV/IT
Sound field control technologies, network-related
technologies
Electronic equipment and metal products
Sound-related devices
Lifestyle-related products
Kitchen and bathroom-related technologies
Yamaha promotes patent filings and rights
acquisition in its others business segment as
well. The aim is to achieve filings and
acquisitions commensurate in number with the
scale of each business.
Companywide R&D focuses on patent filings in
areas related to audio signal processing technology.
Yamaha is aggressive in its approach to making
patent filings for all key development milestones,
especially for the priority themes of R&D.
Patent use
Patents are regarded by all Yamaha business
segments as fundamental to commercial
differentiation and to securing and maintaining an
advantageous business position. Yamaha’s AV
and electronic equipment/metal products
segments make use of cross-licensing
arrangements to augment their operational
freedom. The Company also engages in patent
licensing to third parties. In its AV business, for
example, Yamaha is participating in a joint
licensing consortium for optical disk recording
technology patents that is led by Philips and Sony.
Yamaha also aims to maintain its intellectual
property assets in the most appropriate manner.
An annual review of all company-owned patent
rights in Japan and elsewhere is conducted to
determine current and future uses of respective
patents. Patents to be maintained are then
selected and a maintenance fee paid, thereby
ensuring the appropriateness of intellectual
property assets owned by the Company.
Patent management systems and methods
A corporate Legal and Intellectual Property
Division oversees Yamaha’s patent strategy and
the integrated management of all patents held by
the Yamaha Group. Specific personnel at each
business and R&D division are assigned to
intellectual property roles to ensure the
Company’s patent strategy is coherent with
business and R&D strategies. Yamaha has also
established a Patent Committee, chaired by the
managing director in charge of technology and
development, that is tasked with promoting an
integrated patent strategy at the group level.
Respect for intellectual property and the
securing of confidentiality are also key concepts in
Yamaha’s internal compliance guidelines. Those
R&D and Intellectual Property
Intellectual Property