Yamaha 2007 Annual Report Download - page 20

Patents
The graphs to the right illustrate the number of Yamaha
patent applications published in Japan and the number of
patents owned at the end of March 2007 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 the major themes central to its “YGP2010”
medium-term business plan, namely, “achieving growth in
‘The Sound Company’ business domain” and “further
strengthen profit-making capability as the foundation for
growth.” To meet the objective of its first policy, Yamaha is
heightening efforts to foster innovation and to promote patent
acquisition with respect to the innovation. Yamaha seeks to
meet the objective of the second policy by continually
obtaining patents in Japan and abroad that help to protect its
existing businesses.
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 equipment-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 acoustic technology and audio signal processing
technology, as a major theme. By instilling a patent-oriented
viewpoint in management for each stage of development,
Yamaha promotes an aggressive approach to patent filings in
accordance with the R&D progress for all key R&D themes,
without exception.
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/IT 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 & 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 also holds regular
meetings between each business and R&D division and the
Legal & Intellectual Property Division, with the objective of
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
“Compliance Code of Conduct,” which forms part of the code
of conduct for Yamaha Group personnel and member firms.
Internal incentives for inventions and patents
Yamaha revised internal regulations on patent rewards in 2005.
The Company remunerates inventors at the various stages of
patent acquisition and use, including filing, registration, internal
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, 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
Intellectual Property
achievements of inventors. The Yamaha patent awards are
held annually 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.
Designs
The graph bottom right shows the number of registered
designs owned by Yamaha at the end of March 2007. 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
the field of sound and music. 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.
Brand management
Yamaha formulated a “Brand Charter” in 2000, and has
established rules concerning how the Yamaha brand is to be
managed and represented. Going forward, the main thrust
of brand strategy development will be focused externally
rather than internally as a means to strengthen and advance
business and product strategies.
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)
Japan U.S. Others
03/3 04/3 05/3 06/3 07/3
03/3 04/3 05/3 06/3 07/3
Patents Owned by Yamaha (as of March 31, 2007)
(Number of patents)
Patents Applied and Owned by Yamaha in China
(Number of patents)
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0
250
150
200
100
50
0
Registered Designs Owned by Yamaha
(as of March 31, 2007)
400
300
200
100
0
Others
Lifestyle-Related Products
Electronic Equipment and Metal Products
AV/IT
Musical Instruments
Japan U.S. Others
Yamaha Annual Report 2007 3837
R&D and Intellectual Property
Yamaha Patent Applications Published in Japan
(Number of patents)