Intellectual Property Activities: Patent Applications
Patent Applications
Canon has promoted the globalization of its business operations from its early days, putting great emphasis on filing patent applications outside Japan. As a result, as of the end of 2010 Canon possessed approximately 82,000 patents and utility models globally, of which around 27,000 were for Japan, 28,000 for North America, 16,000 for Europe and 11,000 for Asia and other regions.
When filing patent applications outside Japan, our teams develop detailed patent-filing strategies based on regional business strategies, technologies and product trends to assess the countries/regions where patents are necessary.
Filing of patent applications in the United States in particular has been emphasized with the dual goals of expanding operations and advancing technology partnerships, as the United States has many high-tech companies and a large consumer market. High priority is also given to filing patent applications in Asia, where technological innovation is advancing rapidly. In particular, we have stepped up filing activities in China due to its development as a dominant manufacturing base and a major consumer nation.
Top 10 Companies Acquiring U.S. Patents
| Applicant (Company) | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. | 4,483 | 3,841 | 3,015 |
| 2 | Sony Corporation | 1,569 | 1,709 | 2,302 |
| 3 | Zhejiang University | 1,651 | 1,724 | 2,147 |
| 4 | Tsinghua University | 1,163 | 1,430 | 1,657 |
| 5 | Panasonic Corporation | 2,043 | 2,070 | 1,592 |
| 6 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | 3,313 | 1,554 | 1,364 |
| 7 | Shanghai Jiao Tong University | 1,124 | 1,043 | 1,294 |
| 8 | Sharp Corporation | 792 | 1,130 | 1,095 |
| 9 | Canon Inc. | 894 | 964 | 958 |
| 10 | Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. | 1,426 | 1,756 | 950 |
| 11 | LG Electronics Inc. | 946 | 1,058 | 844 |
| 12 | Toshiba Corporation | 1,018 | 942 | 636 |
| 13 | Mitsubishi Electric Corporation | 665 | 630 | 635 |
| 14 | Seiko Epson Corporation | 764 | 761 | 570 |
| 15 | IBM Corporation | 1,400 | 752 | 529 |
- *1Source: State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) of the People's Republic of China (January 31, 2011).
- *2IBM is an acronym for International Business Machines Corporation.
