Canon global

Canon's Intellectual Property Approach

Since its establishment, Canon has actively engaged in technology research and development, achieving success as an R&D-oriented company in creating markets and customer segments by developing products with proprietary technologies.
This history underpins the Company's belief that the achievements of R&D activities are products and intellectual property. At Canon, the purpose of intellectual property activities is to support business development. As such, we promote entry into new business areas, business diversification, and global expansion of production and marketing operations, with a focus on effective utilization of intellectual property rights.

Basic Policies on Intellectual Property Activities

• Intellectual property activities are vital to supporting business development.
• The results of R&D activities are products and intellectual property.
• In addition to protecting its own intellectual property rights, Canon respects the intellectual property rights of other companies and handles related issues appropriately.

Respecting Intellectual Property Rights

Canon is thorough in responding to product copying and intellectual property infringement. Canon has devised and implemented thorough safeguards and policies to guard against such threats.
At the same time, clear rules have been established to ensure that the intellectual property rights of other companies are respected and that our products do not infringe on rights held by others. More specifically, thorough investigations of third-party patents are conducted to prevent use of intellectual property held by others without first obtaining the relevant rights. Such thorough investigations of third-party rights are carried out at all stages, from R&D onward, based on cooperation between the R&D division involved in the technology and the department responsible for intellectual property rights.
By thoroughly instilling these rules throughout the Company, Canon smoothly and appropriately enters into partnerships with other companies and outside research institutions for cross-licensing or joint research projects. This makes it possible for Canon to achieve greater results than it could attain only by using its own patents.

A Corporate Culture that Supports Intellectual Property Activities

Canon encourages employees involved in R&D operations to draft patents (invention proposals) rather than create reports and to read patent bulletins rather than research literature as they carry out their day-to-day R&D activities.
To draft an invention proposal, a researcher needs to compare his or her own R&D activities with prior art technologies, understanding them objectively and summarizing them systematically. This leads to the acquisition of higher-value patents as intellectual property rights. Patent bulletins provide technological information that informs researchers about technical issues and solutions in relevant fields, knowledge of prior art technologies, competitors' activities and other trends. Intellectual property rights information bulletins are useful for alerting researchers when rights holders need to be taken into consideration during business development.
At Canon, researchers and engineers involved in R&D are keenly aware of the significance of intellectual property activities, which fosters a corporate culture of consistently setting high development objectives.

Intellectual Property Management System

To carry out its business activities consistent with its intellectual property strategy, Canon Inc. has centralized intellectual property rights management under the direction of the Corporate Intellectual Property and Legal Headquarters.
Specifically, the intellectual property rights of R&D divisions, other products operations and Canon Group companies are centrally managed to optimize the overall intellectual property portfolio.
For example, when concluding a patent licensing agreement with another company (a third party), the Corporate Intellectual Property and Legal Headquarters approves the agreement only after making adjustments reflecting merits for the entire Group. This step ensures that the Group maintains an appropriate intellectual property portfolio. We review our portfolio regularly to ensure that only necessary rights are being reserved.

Intellectual Property Management Structure

Group Company Management Structure

The respective roles and responsibilities of Canon Inc.'s Corporate Intellectual Property and Legal Headquarters and the intellectual property divisions at each Group company, along with the formulation process for policies on activities and other issues between them are determined by Canon's management rules.
An Intellectual Property Summit is periodically held to facilitate information sharing throughout Group companies in Japan and overseas. This summit serves as a forum to communicate information and perspectives on trends in society as well as intellectual property initiatives being undertaken by Group companies in Japan and overseas. It also ensures that prompt action can be taken when an intellectual property issue arises.
Moreover, people in charge at the Corporate Intellectual Property and Legal Headquarters have been posted or sent to visit Canon Group companies to bolster global intellectual property activities and develop human resources.

Promoting More Innovative Inventions Leading to Patent Rights

As the cycle from product development to marketing becomes shorter, it is more difficult for researchers to closely study technologies that lead to inventions and to accurately stay abreast of a broad range of related technological trends.
One approach we have taken in this regard is to appoint Patent Portfolio Managers (PPMs) within each product operation. A PPM is a veteran technician with rich knowledge and experience concerning technological and patent application trends. PPMs select useful inventions and link the types of patents that tend to be overlooked amid the Company's busy development operations to effective patent applications.
Through this organized approach, Canon aims to expand and reinforce its intellectual property.

Prior Art Searches to Improve the Quality of Patent Applications

Even if R&D culminates in a patent application, a patent cannot be granted if a third party has submitted an application for a similar invention. Accordingly, we conduct prior art searches for previous publications to ensure that we assess the validity of applications and that we pursue originality in development.
When filing patent applications, each inventor uses Canon's search system, P/Net SR to investigate the existence of similar prior art. In 2006, we incorporated an English-Japanese translation function into the system to allow efficient searches of U.S. patents as well. In addition, Canon Technology Information Services Inc.—a Group company specializing in technology search services—performs more detailed prior art searches.
The thoroughness of such screenings raises the quality of patent applications, while utilization of the Japan Patent Office's Super-Accelerated Examination System^*1 and Patent Prosecution Highway^*2 speeds up the patent process.