Intellectual Property
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Approach
The IHI Group promotes intellectual property activities in an integrated manner with both its management policy-based business and technological strategies. The business environment surrounding the Group differs from division to division and from company to company. Consequently, there are individual needs for intellectual property activities. The Intellectual Property Department of IHI Corporation drafts a Basic Policy on IHI Group Intellectual Property every year. Individual divisions and affiliated companies refer to this policy to establish their own intellectual property policies tailored to their unique business, technology, and development environment.
The Basic Policy on IHI Group Intellectual Property in fiscal 2024 is currently focusing efforts on these three priority measures:
- Intellectual property activities for promoting business portfolio reformation
- Addressing risks hindering business scenario execution
- Strengthening the intellectual property management system supporting business and improving intellectual property literacy
By utilizing intellectual property in its business activities to help solve social issues and increase customer value, the IHI Group is working to achieve sustainable growth for the entire Group.
Governance
The IHI Group has appointed a manager of intellectual property at each of its divisions and affiliated companies to formulate intellectual property policy and encourage business and technology strategies for making use of intellectual property.
Strategy
In the clean energy field, the IHI Group is working to build an ammonia value chain as well as develop and promote businesses based on ammonia fuel technology, a Development-focused Business listed in its Group Management Policies 2023. In order to gain an objective understanding of individual business environments and its own strengths, the Group builds patent portfolios and formulates strategies that utilize the IP landscape*. In its growth businesses and conventional businesses as well, the Group uses intellectual property information to formulate strategies to solve social issues.
IP landscape: A portmanteau combining intellectual property (IP) and landscape (scenery, environment, outlook) used to refer to utilizing the results of analyzing intellectual property information to formulate corporate management strategies and inform company management decisions as well as to refer to corporate management conducted with a focus on intellectual property.
Risks
The IHI Group monitors and looks into patent applications and patents by other parties during its technology development and business activities, in order to reduce and avoid the risk of becoming technologically disadvantaged or being involved in patent disputes with other companies. Furthermore, to prevent risk of damage to the IHI Group’s reputation from imitations of its products and services, the Group is working to protect its trademarks and take countermeasures against counterfeit products.
Opportunities
The IHI Group, expanding its business globally, takes appropriate steps in the protection, management, and utilization of its intellectual property, which are essential for sustainable Group growth and for providing and improving corporate value. Along with protection of intellectual property, the Group regards partnerships with other companies as important for contribution to global technological development. As the Group strives to utilize intellectual property in relation to core technologies, it is also working on standardization to promote market development and quick delivery of technology. Regarding ammonia fuel, the Group is in active cooperation with related organizations and companies engaged in activity toward achieving international standardization.
Initiatives
Education/Awareness Building
Intellectual Property Education
Besides basic training programs regarding intellectual properties, the IHI Group provides education covering submitting invention, patent search, copyright, trademarks, etc. Most of this training is conducted online through e-learning, making attendance more convenient and encouraging independent learning. The Group is working toward improving intellectual property understanding and awareness through a variety of methods that include specific division or rank training, lectures on industrial property, training to develop future human resources skilled to carry out an integrated strategy involving intellectual property, business and technology, and through regular information updates from the Intellectual Property Department.
Intellectual Property Course Participants (Total)
(Unit: People, Scope: IHI and affiliated companies in Japan)
Intellectual Property Protection
The IHI Group protects the inventions it develops by acquiring rights through patent applications and keeping know-how confidential. The Group carefully selects countries to file patent applications through the forecasts in global business and technology developments.
The decision to keep or abandon acquired rights is made with consideration toward the future competitive environment and cost-effectiveness. Any know-how is strictly kept confidential based on internal regulations and contracts.
Number of Patent Acquisitions
(Unit: Reports, Owner: IHI and affiliated companies in Japan)
Regional Comparison in Number of Patents
(Unit: Reports, Owner: IHI)
Figures for domestic and foreign patents between FY2020–2022 have been revised.
Innovation Management Top
