Basic Concept of Intellectual Property
Throughout its long history, Fujikura has maintained an enterprising spirit and produced many innovative products that met the needs of the times, and has strongly promoted research and development activities, taking pride in being "Fujikura of Technology."
On the other hand, in recent years, in order to succeed in business, it is not enough to simply provide new technology, but it is also necessary to find issues that society truly needs and provide innovative total solutions to resolve those issues. Opportunities for the effective use of intellectual property to advance such business activities are also increasing, and such use is expected to continue in the future.
Given this background, Fujikura's Intellectual Property Department is working with the mission of "integrating/integrating intellectual property strategy with business /development strategy to build business advantage through the power of intellectual property." We are convinced that intellectual property will continue to play an important role as a means of securing competitive advantage in future business development. We are working closely with development and business activities to create a system that naturally and effectively incorporates intellectual property strategy into business promotion strategy, and we are also working to anticipate actions that will be required in the future and make preparations to ensure that they can be carried out reliably, thereby working on our daily activities with the aim of making a significant contribution to business success.
Based on this belief, Fujikura places emphasis on the following four perspectives in its intellectual property activities, which it has established as its basic policy.
basic policy for Intellectual Property Activities
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01Optimal intellectual property protection/
Obtaining strong rightsWe decide on the appropriate form of protection for developed technologies, such as patenting or confidentiality, based on their nature and functions. In particular, we are conscious of differentiated technologies that will be key to supporting future business from the early stages of development, and decide on the form of protection while considering future usage scenarios, striving to secure the necessary strong rights. In order to advance our company's business advantageously, appropriately protected intellectual property or its rights are strategy essential, and we believe that preparatory discussions should be held from the early stages of development. -
02Under proper risk assessment
strategy use of intellectual property rightsWe will consider how to utilize the acquired intellectual property rights in policy with our business activities while also conducting a thorough risk assessment of the rights of others. We will take appropriate legal action against technical counterfeits, whether in developed or emerging countries, and will also actively pursue contracts for licenses or joint development as part of collaborative creation, including open innovation, aimed at the development of Fujikura's business. Risk assessment of the rights of others is important for the smooth running of business activities, and we will conduct this assessment as early and rigorously as possible, involving external experts. -
03Ensuring the effectiveness of strategy
Information AnalysisIn order to strategy protect, acquire, or utilize intellectual property, it is important to conduct prior research and analysis to ensure that intellectual property can be used effectively. In order to lead business to success, in addition to the traditional investigation of clearance and patent validity, it is necessary to obtain and analyze accurate information on the market trends and competitive environment of the business, as well as the patent positions of each player. We promote IP landscape activities, collect information from multiple perspectives, share the results of the analysis, and use them to formulate profitable strategy. -
04Raising awareness of intellectual property strategy and
Establishment of governance systemDiscussions on strategy involve people from various positions. If each person has sufficient knowledge that serves as the basis for strategy formulation, it is expected that a variety of strategy ideas will be generated and that this will also lead to risk reduction. Therefore, in our internal awareness activities, in addition to education on legal systems, we will also focus on education on intellectual property strategy, aiming to create a culture in which methods for the effective use of intellectual property are discussed. In addition, a consistent approach to intellectual property strategy is necessary for Fujikura Group. In order to comprehensively manage intellectual property risks, we will establish an intellectual property governance system for domestic and overseas group companies.
Integration of intellectual property strategy and business /development strategy
In order to integrate business /development strategy with intellectual property strategy, we believe it is extremely important to have an open organization structure that allows information to be shared in a timely manner.
At Fujikura, we hold regular joint meetings for each of our major business, consisting of members from business units and the intellectual property unit, to discuss how to handle intellectual property related to that business. At these meetings, we share information about business and intellectual property strategy, clarify issues regarding intellectual property strategy in implementing business strategy, and also plan intellectual property strategy activities in line with our business strategy and check their progress.
Similarly, for each R&D unit aiming for future business, we regularly hold joint meetings with unit of the intellectual property unit. By discussing intellectual property strategy together with the R&D unit from the early stages of development, we can confirm basic intellectual property that can greatly contribute to future business and obtain rights for it. We can also implement risk avoidance measures regarding other companies' rights at an early stage, making this an activity that is expected to be effective.
Promoting intellectual property strategy activities
In order to secure a competitive advantage in business by utilizing intellectual property, it is necessary to strongly promote activities in line with the initially proposed intellectual property strategy, but also to flexibly modify or change the intellectual property strategy if the development strategy for business changes. At Fujikura, we take such possibilities into consideration and conduct intellectual property strategy activities using our own management methods to ensure the effectiveness of our intellectual property strategy.
Fujikura's R&D unit has newly introduced the ISO56002: innovation management system (hereinafter referred to as "IMS") management method with the aim of efficiently organization developing innovation, and we believe that IP strategy activities should also be conducted in accordance with this standard. Therefore, Fujikura has been systematically operating its IP strategy activities while also incorporating the concepts of the ISO56005: Tools and Methods for Intellectual Property Management standard, which is establishment based on the IMS standard mentioned above. Specifically, we define IP activities to be conducted at each stage of R&D, and by linking them to the IMS, we conduct IP strategy activities in sync with R&D activities. This approach enables flexible IP strategy activities and ensures the creation of a portfolio of IP or its rights that will give business a competitive advantage when it is converted to business in the future, before it is converted to business.
Number of patents held and applications filed
Number of domestic patents held
Number of overseas patents held
Number of domestic patent applications and global application rate
