Intellectual Properties

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,” and the Group considers intellectual property to be a significant contribution to its Group's VALUE. The Nisshinbo Group's Business Conduct Guidelines also clearly states “to continue to innovate through co-creation with stakeholders,” and 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 Microdevices 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 Microdevices 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 overseas cases by the segments of Business Development, Chemicals and Automobile Brakes.

* Number of intellectual properties owned: the total number of registrations, applications and cases under examinations of patents, utility models and designs.

Composition of Net Sales and Number of Intellectual Properties Owned

The Nisshinbo Group is actively acquiring intellectual property rights in its three main segments of Wireless and Communications, Microdevices and Automobile Brakes. As of the end of 2022, the Group held approximately 4600 intellectual property rights in total. Of these, 39% consists Wireless and Communications segment, 28% Microdevice segment and 7% Automobile Brakes segment.

Similar to the sales ratio, the three main segments account for about 75% of the number of intellectual properties.

Composition of Net Sales and Number of Intellectual Properties Owned

Wireless and Communications

Ratio in Number of Intellectual Properties

Intellectual Properties owned by Wireless and Communications segment account for 39% of that of the entire group.
As shown in the figure below, Solutions accounts for 23%, Marine Systems 14%, Telecommunication 13%, and Defense Systems 5%.

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.

* 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.
From this figure, it can be seen that Wireless and Communications segment has strength in patents related to radar technology.

* 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.

Microdevices Segment

Ratio in Number of Intellectual Properties

Intellectual Properties owned by Microdevices segment account for 28% of that of the entire group.
As shown in the figure below, Energy Management accounts for 32%, Signal Processing 31%, Manufacturing Process 11%, Microwave 9%, and Packaging 6%.

Trends in Patent Applications

The figure below shows the past filing trends in Microdevices 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.

Analysis of Patents Owned

The figure below shows an analysis of patents owned in Microdevices 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.
From this figure, it can be seen that Microdevices segment has strength in patents related to energy management technology, DC-DC converters, signal amplification technology, and micromachines (MEMS).

Automobile Brakes

Ratio in Number of Intellectual Properties

Intellectual Properties owned by Automobile Brakes segment account for 7% of that of the entire group.
As shown in the figure below, Frictional Material Compositions accounts for 41%, Manufacturing Technology 36%, Friction Member Structure 10%, and Sensing 8%.

Specific Activities of the Group Companies

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/