Olympus 2004 Annual Report Download - page 52

Number o f Published Patents in Area o f Core Co mpetence
(Number o f pa te nts)
0 0 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 4
Ratio of Patents Held in Core Co mpetence
(%)
O ptical Techno logy
Electronic Imaging
Techno lo gy
Prec ision Technology
8
O ptical
Techno lo gy
3 8
1 7 Electronic
Imaging
Techno lo gy
Prec isio n
Technolo gy
3 7
Applied
Techno lo gy
0 4
9 0 0
6 0 0
3 0 0
5 0 O LYMPUS 2 0 0 4
Core Technologies and Business M odels
>O lympus’ co re co mpetence is in “O pto-Digital Technolo gy,”
specifically optical technology, electro nic imag ing technolo gy,
and precision technolo gy, which are po sitioned as fundamental
techno lo g ies common to the entire company. It has increased co m-
petitiveness and co ntinually introduced breakthroug h pro ducts in
the imaging, medical, life science, and industrial business sec-
to rs by fo cusing o n its research and develo pment reso urces. The
co mpany’s strong commitment to techno log y research and devel-
o pment is reflected by its R&D investment o f ¥3 8 ,6 7 1 million
(US$ 3 5 2 millio n), representing 6 .1 % o f sales, during the term
under review.
R&D Segment and Intellectual Property O verview
>The follo wing g raphs show the number of O lympus’ published
patents in its areas o f core competence, as well as the ratio of
such patents in relation to its o verall patent po rtfolio.
O lympus owns a high number of published patents in optical,
electro nic imag ing, and precision technolo gies, and has strength-
ened its co re competence each year. In additio n, approximately
6 0 % of O lympus’ acquired patents are related to co re compe-
tence technolo gies, and serve as a wellspring of the co mpany’s
co mpetitiveness in each area of business.
No te: The number of published patents is a co mmonly used indicato r o f
research and develo pment a ctivity.
R&D and Intellectual Property O rganizational Chart,
R&D Alliances
>O lympus research and develo pment effo rts are co nducted at the
co rpo rate level by its Technolo gy Research Institutes and Future
Creatio n Labo ratory, and by research and development depart-
ments that fo cus o n pro duct develo pment at each business
g ro up.
Intellectual pro perty management is handled by the corpo rate
Intellectual Pro perty & Licensing Division and by departments
established for that purpo se within each business gro up. This
enables each group to integ rate its business, techno lo g y, and
intellectual property strateg ies while licensing-related activities
and administrative tasks are handled by the Intellectual Pro perty
& Licensing Divisio n. In an effo rt to further strengthen intellectu-
al pro perty management capabilities, the Intellectual Property &
Licensing Divisio n was placed under the direct co ntrol o f the
O ffice o f the President in April 2 0 0 4 .
W hile core co mpetence O pto -Digital Technolo gies are basi-
cally develo ped in-ho use, O lympus also leverages its research
and development investment by actively pursuing R&D alliances.
The Future Creation Laboratory, who se mission is the creation of
“Future Values,” is particularly active in this respect, and wo rks
to acquire new co re technolo gies thro ugh jo int activities with
independent researchers, universities, and o ther co mpanies.
Significance of Licensing Activities
to Company Business
>O lympus views intellectual pro perty licensing activities primarily
as a means of differentiating its pro ducts fro m those of o ther
manufacturers, rather than as a means of generating licensing
revenue.
W ith respect to imaging pro ducts, O lympus co nsiders cross
licensing to be an important to ol because the rate at which tech-
nolo gy advances in the imaging industry is extremely rapid, and
in o rder to respond quickly to custo mer needs it is necessary to
make use of a wide range o f intellectual pro perty assets, includ-
INTELLECTUAL PRO PERTY REPO RT
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