Basic Concept
Intellectual property is an extremely important management resource. The Nisshinbo Group's VALUE is "to provide our customers with eco-friendly products and services to create a safer and more secure society with integrity." The Group considers intellectual property to be a significant contribution to its Group's VALUE. In addition, the Nisshinbo Group's Business Conduct Guidelines also clearly states "to continue to innovate through co-creation with stakeholders." Intellectual property plays an extremely important role as a framework that supports, promotes, and even drives innovation.
As technological innovations such as digital transformation (DX) and AI rapidly advance, in order for the Nisshinbo Group to respond to these changes and contribute to solving issues, the Group must not only create value backed by intellectual property, but also utilize the created value and make it useful to society. Of course, the Group must not forget to take into consideration the intellectual property of others.
The Group is engaged in a wide range of businesses, and utilizes its creative value in many different ways. Therefore, the Group is committed to providing value to society by implementing strategies for acquiring, protecting, and utilizing intellectual property in accordance with each business. For example, in the Wireless and Communications segment and the Micro Devices segment, the segment not only implements intellectual property in-house, but also conducts business through licensing. In the Automobile Brakes segment, the segment also utilizes methods to manage and protects intellectual property as keeping it in-house to ensure its competitive advantage.
Promotion System
Under a system in which the Director and the Chief of the Corporate Strategy Center of Nisshinbo Holdings, Inc. is in charge, The Nisshinbo Group promotes intellectual property activities with a view to global business development.
The Intellectual Property Group of the Human Resources & Administration Service Department of the Corporate Strategy Center, which consists of a group of intellectual property specialists, formulates intellectual property strategies for the entire group and efficiently manages intellectual property across the board.
Specifically, the group conducts intellectual property research in cooperation with each business division with the global market in mind, and strategically acquires, protects, and utilizes intellectual property rights in accordance with the laws and regulations of each country in a manner that is tailored to each business.
Specific Initiatives of the Nisshinbo Group
The Nisshinbo Group protects and utilizes intellectual property obtained through innovation creation in an appropriate manner according to its characteristics, such as by filing applications or keeping it in-house. The Group also respects the intellectual property of other companies and actively conduct surveys to avoid intellectual property risks. Through the analysis of intellectual property information, the Group supports business direction and the promotion of new businesses.
Intellectual Property Activity Focus Fields
Beyond the walls of business segments such as the Wireless and Communications segment, the Micro Devices segment, and the Automobile Brakes segment, the Group strategically acquires, protects, and utilizes intellectual property within the framework of three strategic business areas: Mobility, Infrastructure & Safety, and Life & Healthcare, and conducts intellectual property activities with the aim of building a business-compatible rights network and creating sustainable competitive advantage.
Reward System for Inventors (Application, Registration, and Performance Rewards)
The Nisshinbo Group has adopted an incentive system to encourage the acquisition of intellectual property rights. The Group pays incentives to inventors at the time of application and registration, as well as performance incentives based on the status of implementation.
Measures Against Counterfeit Products
The entire Nisshinbo Group works together to monitor counterfeit products. As soon as counterfeit products are detected, the Group takes prompt action to protect its brands and ensures that its customers can use its products with peace of mind.
Intellectual Property Education
The Nisshinbo Group actively conducts intellectual property education for a wide range of employees, not only to acquire basic knowledge of intellectual property, but also to ensure thorough compliance.
Information on Intellectual Property Owned
Number of Intellectual Property Owned
The figure below shows the number of intellectual properties owned* of Nisshinbo Group as a whole and the number of intellectual properties owned by each segment in Japan and overseas. In recent years, there has been a marked increase in the number of new businesses held overseas, and the Micro Devices segment has also seen an increase in the number of new businesses held overseas. On the other hand, the brake segment has seen a decrease in the number of overseas holdings due to the transfer of the TMD Group.
* Number of intellectual properties owned: the total number of registrations, applications and cases under examinations of patents, utility models and designs.
Number of Intellectual Property Owned

Overseas Case Numbers by Segment

Ratio of Intellectual Property Ownership
The Nisshinbo Group is actively acquiring intellectual property rights in the segments of Wireless and Communications, Micro Devices and Automobile Brakes. As of the end of 2023, the Group held approximately 4,600 intellectual property rights in total. Of these, 40% consists Wireless and Communications segment, 29% Micro Devices segment and 4% Automobile Brakes segment.
Ratio in Number of Intellectual Properties

Intellectual Property by Segment
Wireless and Communications
Ratio in Number of Intellectual Properties
Intellectual Properties owned by Wireless and Communications segment account for 40% of that of the entire group. As shown in the figure below, Solutions accounts for 21%, Marine Systems 15%, Telecommunication 14%, and Defense Systems 6%.
Ratio in Number of Intellectual Properties in Wireless and Communications Segment

Trends in Patent Applications
The figure below shows the past filing trends in Wireless and Communications segment. The segment has been actively filing applications to protect radar technology. In addition, many applications have been filed for technologies such as mobile radio communication systems, position fixing by use of radio waves, traffic control systems, and investigating or analyzing materials by use of ultrasonic waves.
Application Trends in Wireless and Communications Segment

Note 1: As of the end of 2023, the publication of all 2022 applications has not been completed.

* In-house preparation using BizCruncher, a patent analysis tool of Patent Result Co., Ltd. The vertical axis indicates the classification by Japan Patent Office, and the numbers in the circles indicate the number of applications.
Analysis of Patents Owned
The figure below shows an analysis of patents owned in Wireless and Communications segment.
The vertical axis indicates the overall strength of patents in each technology category, the horizontal axis indicates the score of the strongest patent in each technology category, and the size of the circle indicates the number of patents.
The figure on the left shows that the Wireless and Communications segment has strength in patents related to radar technology. The figure on the right shows that the strength of patents related to radar technology is increasing year by year.
Radar products in the Wireless and Communications segment include marine radar and weather radar. The segment has invested aggressively in research and development of these product lines and has protected the results.
Analysis of Patents Owned in Wireless and Communications Segment

* In-house preparation using BizCruncher, a patent analysis tool of Patent Result Co., Ltd. The vertical axis indicates the overall strength of patents in each technology category, the horizontal axis indicates the score of the strongest patent in each technology category, and the size of the circle indicates the number of patents.
Micro Devices
Ratio in Number of Intellectual Properties
Intellectual Properties owned by Micro Devices segment account for 29% of that of the entire group. As shown in the figure below, Energy Management accounts for 32%, Signal Processing 31%, Manufacturing Process 10%, Microwave 9%, and Packaging 6%.
Ratio in Number of Intellectual Properties in Micro Devices Segment

Trends in Patent Applications
The figure below shows the past filing trends in Micro Devices segment. The Segment has been actively filing applications to protect energy management technology, DC-DC converters, and signal amplification technology.
In addition, many applications have been filed for micromachines (MEMS), radar systems or details, and microwave tubes.
Application Trends in Micro Devices Segment

Note 1: As of the end of 2023, the publication of all 2022 applications has not been completed.

* In-house preparation using BizCruncher, a patent analysis tool of Patent Result Co., Ltd. The vertical axis indicates the classification by Japan Patent Office, and the numbers in the circles indicate the number of applications.
Analysis of Patents Owned
The figure below shows an analysis of patents owned in Micro Devices segment.
The vertical axis indicates the overall strength of patents in each technology category, the horizontal axis indicates the score of the strongest patent in each technology category, and the size of the circle indicates the number of patents.
The figure on the left shows that the Micro Devices segment has strength in patents related to energy management technology, DC-DC converters, signal amplification technology, and micromachines (MEMS). The figure on the right shows that the strength of patents related to DC-DC converters and signal amplification technology is increasing year by year.
Products in the Micro Devices segment include power supply ICs and operational amplifiers. The segment invests aggressively in R&D for these product lines and protects the results.
Analysis of Patents Owned in Micro Devices Segment

* In-house preparation using BizCruncher, a patent analysis tool of Patent Result Co., Ltd. The vertical axis indicates the overall strength of patents in each technology category, the horizontal axis indicates the score of the strongest patent in each technology category, and the size of the circle indicates the number of patents.
Specific Activities of the Group Companies
Initiatives for a Decarbonized Society
As an environmental energy company, the Nisshinbo Group is actively engaged in GX (Green Transformation) initiatives with the goal of contributing to the hydrogen society. Typical examples of our efforts include research and development of fuel cell catalysts and fuel cell separators.
The figure below shows an analysis of patents held in the fuel cell field in the Green Transformation Technology Category Table (GXTI*) by the Japan Patent Office. This chart shows that the Nisshinbo Group is strong in patents related to catalysts. In addition, the strength of patents in this field is increasing year by year.
* GXTI: A technology classification table created by the Japan Patent Office in June 2022 to provide an overview of technologies related to green transformation (GX).
Analysis of Patents Owned in the fuel cell field (GXTI)

* In-house preparation using BizCruncher, a patent analysis tool of Patent Result Co., Ltd. The vertical axis indicates the overall strength of patents in each technology category, the horizontal axis indicates the score of the strongest patent in each technology category, and the size of the circle indicates the number of patents.
Licensable Patent
Japan Radio Co., Ltd., in the Wireless and Communications segment, has established a system whereby patented technologies, etc. not being used by the company are made available as patents that can be licensed in order to contribute to solving various social issues, so that Nisshinbo's technologies can be widely used outside of the Nisshinbo Group.
The open patents are published in the Licensable Patent Information Database with easy-to-understand examples added.
National Center for Industrial Property Information and Training, Licensable Patent Information Database: https://plidb.inpit.go.jp/english/home