Intellectual Property

Every day we create new value by integrating advanced and proprietary technologies and establishing differentiating technologies to continue providing the best quality products and services, and thereby satisfy our customers and earn their confidence.
Our Intellectual Property Division defines intellectual property as a key component that securely links value created in various corporate operations with our competitive edge. Consequently, the work of the Intellectual Property Division encompasses an extremely broad range. Activities include strategic competitor analysis to buttress our business and R&D strategies, and industrial standardization activities for establishing our competitive edge. In addition, the division supports conventional intellectual property functions such as supporting invention, patent applications and the acquisition of rights.

Our intellectual property strategy overall is designed to support business and R&D strategies at various phases. We intend to enhance corporate value by strengthening intellectual property activities at every phase.
Intangible components of technology assets generated through R&D activities to create new products include invention, concepts, publications and other writings, and expertise. We need to protect them by obtaining intellectual properties rights such as patents, utility models and copyrights. These activities are regarded as intellectual property creation. Acquired intellectual property rights represent valuable assets and are the wellspring for the ongoing competitiveness of our products. They help prevent the entry of competitors and provide funding for licensing the technologies of other companies.
To protect these assets, the Intellectual Property Division also engages in activities to resolve litigation and disputes that may arise between the company and its competitors and to negotiate the terms for obtaining licenses necessary for commercialization.
In addition, we strive to safeguard the fruits of inter-company and industry-government-academia collaborations as intellectual property toward quickly commercializing basic research results at the stage of R&D.
Key supportive actions for business strategies also include proposing strategic targets and policies for establishing business preeminence through competitor analysis and formulating industrial standards to establish the superiority of our products.
Royalty income from patent licenses is also important in terms of utilizing the intellectual property we own. We also focus on earning this income and re-investing it into R&D for current and new businesses.
We naturally respect the intellectual property of other companies and individuals, promote ongoing research, and implement measures to prevent infringement while vigorously conducting education and training to raise awareness of the importance of intellectual property across the company.

We have been engaged in research and development in a wide variety of fields over many years, accumulating a diverse range of ideas and technical information. We do not accept technical proposals from persons outside the company that are publicly undisclosed in order to prevent being imposed with restrictions on our own proprietary research and development activities, and to prevent unexpected issues with persons outside the company. Please be aware that, therefore, if ideas and technical information are sent to this site or our company by postal mail, email, or other methods, the user is deemed to have sent these upon agreeing to the following conditions.

• We shall not assume any obligation of confidentiality for the ideas and technical information.
• We shall not assume any obligation to study, evaluate, adopt, or engage in other action regarding the ideas and technical information.
• There is a possibility that we are conducting research and development, new product development, or preparing to offer services similar to the ideas and technical information that were sent to us. Even if we announce or disclose these ideas and technical information, we shall not assume any obligation to pay any compensation to the user.