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Noise
suppres-
sion
Clear
Voice Slow
Voice
Fujitsu mobile phone userCaller
Noise Noise
Fast
speech
Voice
Caller’s voice is
clearer
Intellectual Property
Business and
R&D Divisions
Patent portfolio
Idea selection
Survey of technology trends Patent application Patent survey to
avoid infringement Exercise of rights
Decision to commercialize Licensing negotiations
Consider alliances Ties with indus-
try, academia
and government
Intellectual
Property Unit
Linking Business and R&D Divisions
Protecting and respecting intellectual property is part of the Code of Conduct in the Fujitsu Way, which articulates the philosophy of the
Fujitsu Group and the core values and principles guiding the actions of each of its employees. Accordingly, every employee recognizes
intellectual property as a key corporate asset supporting business activities. Moreover, Fujitsu employees are acutely aware of the role that
technologies backed by intellectual property play in enabling customers to rely with confidence on the products and services we deliver.
We are promoting an intellectual property strategy closely integrated with our business and R&D strategies. Each business unit and R&D
division is individually responsible for analyzing the intellectual property assets owned by Fujitsu and other companies in their respec-
tive fields. Based on this analysis, they formulate and implement intellectual property strategies.
We are developing a framework to strengthen Group-wide intel-
lectual property activities to enable the entire Group to leverage
our intellectual property assets. Some issues, such as the cre-
ation of international standards, require coordinated action
among the global bases in the Group. Here, we use regular
meetings among Group companies to share information as well
as promote specific measures. In this way, we foster a unified
approach to intellectual property activities.
1. Patent Rights
Patent rights support technological strength. Recognizing these
rights as an important corporate asset, we are assembling a
global patent portfolio centered on patents in Japan.
We ensure that the acquisition, maintenance, and utilization
of patents are carried out in keeping with the Fujitsu Group’s
global business development strategy. We therefore acquire,
maintain, and utilize the patents we need in the countries
(regions) where they are needed, to support the operation of our
R&D, production, and sales bases. Representatives are sent to
the US and China so that local research or inventions at develop-
ment bases can be securely protected. For obtaining patents in
the US, Fujitsu has a framework not only for yielding inventions,
but for handling the entire adjudication process to achieve more
efficient registration of high-quality patents.
The Importance of Intellectual Property
Intellectual Property Strategy
Mobile phones need to produce clear voice communications, regardless of the
speaker’s vocal characteristics or the surrounding environment, as they are used
in a wide range of locations by people who speak in many different ways.
Fujitsu has taken the lead in developing new technologies such as “noise
suppression” that reduces the inherent noise in the speaker’s voice, “clear voice”
that makes the speaker’s voice easier to hear by adjusting for ambient noise, and
“slow voice” technology to slow the speaker’s voice without changing its pitch.
Intellectual property and development divisions worked collaboratively to
bring these technologies to fruition, streamlining their efforts to develop the
technology behind roughly 50 comprehensive patent applications and patents
made both in and outside of Japan. These initiatives are also part of Fujitsu’s
efforts to realize a Human Centric Intelligent Society.
Fujitsu’s voice technologies were awarded the Commendation for Science and
Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
(Prizes for Science and Technology in Development Category) in 2012. Our noise
suppression method for clearer mobile phone communications (Japanese Patent
No. 4520732) received the Kanto Local Commendation for Invention and the
Japan Patent Attorneys Association President’s Encouragement Award sponsored
by the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation in 2011.
Group-Wide Initiatives
Mobile phone voice technology
Out-licensing
In-licensing
Voice volume adjusted for
ambient noise for better
voice clarity
Initial
planning Project
planning Prototyping Manufacture Sales
Design
062 FUJITSU LIMITED ANNUAL REPORT 2012