Yamaha 2006 Annual Report Download - page 37

Yamaha Annual Report 2006 37
guidelines form part of the code of conduct for Yamaha Group personnel
and member firms.
Internal incentives for inventions and patents
Yamaha has formulated internal regulations on patent rewards in line with
Article 35 of Japanese Patent Law, which was revised in 2005. The
Company remunerates inventors at the various stages of patent acquisition
and use, including filing, registration, practice, and any outward licensing.
The payments are to reward inventors and to provide an incentive for
invention. In the course of amending corporate regulations on patent
rewards, Yamaha has incorporated steps required by the Patent Law for
reward payments, and carried out an increase in reward payments.
To encourage increased patent applications and registrations, Yamaha
also strives to cultivate a dynamic corporate culture that values innovation and
that honors the achievements of inventors. The inaugural Yamaha annual
patent awards were held in fiscal 2005 March to recognize inventors who
have made efforts aggressively to create inventions, patent filings, and patent
registrations, and to recognize inventions with significant potential and their
originators. Yamaha will continue with this patent award system in the future.
Designs
The graph bottom right shows the number of registered designs owned by
Yamaha at the end of March 2006. The musical instruments business
accounts for about 70% of the total. Yamaha has boosted the number of
product design applications made to the Chinese patent office in recent
years as part of countermeasures against counterfeit products.
Copyright and other rights
Besides industrial property rights, such as patents, designs, and
trademarks, the Yamaha Group generates numerous intellectual property in
the form of copyright works, mostly in sound and music fields. Yamaha
applies the same degree of care to ensure the proper management and use
of music-related copyright as it does with other forms of intellectual
property, such as patents, designs and trademarks.
Anti-counterfeiting measures
Yamaha has pursued a proactive policy against the counterfeiting of its
products for more than 10 years. By using bureaucratic and legal routes,
Yamaha seeks actively to expose and stop such counterfeiting practices,
with some success. Cases of other firms seeking to copy Yamaha-branded
goods have become more frequent in recent years. Going forward, Yamaha
plans to adopt a more-aggressive legal posture, including filing lawsuits
against infringers, to preserve its brand value and to retain consumer trust in
the Yamaha brand. Yamaha also takes anti-counterfeiting measures in
alliance with other companies in diverse industries.
Intellectual property risk
At the time of this report’s publication, the Yamaha Group was not involved
in any intellectual property dispute with the potential to have a significant
impact on the Company’s business.
Others
Lifestyle-Related Products
Electronic Equipment and
Metal Products
AV/IT
Musical Instruments
Others
Lifestyle-Related Products
Electronic Equipment and
Metal Products
AV/IT
Musical Instruments
Patent Applied
Patent Owned
2003/3 2004/3 2005/3
Japan U.S.A. Other
2006/3
2001/3 2002/3 2003/3 2004/3 2005/3 2006/3
Patents Owned by Yamaha (as of March 31, 2006)
Yamaha Patent Applications Published in Japan
(Number of patents)
Patents Applied and Owned by Yamaha in China
(Number of patents)
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0
150
100
50
0
Registered Designs Owned by Yamaha
(as of March 31, 2006)
400
300
200
100
0
Others
Lifestyle-Related Products
Electronic Equipment and
Metal Products
AV/IT
Musical Instruments
Japan U.S.A. Other