Protection of Intellectual Property

Intellectual Property Strategies

Intellectual property (IP) strategies are intimately related to business strategies and R&D strategies and are imperative to a company. Accordingly, close coordination is pursued between divisions responsible for these three types of strategies to promote seamless information sharing and co-creative strategy formulation.
Moreover, the newly integrated company regards its IP strategies as one of its important managerial strategies, and formulates and implements its business, R&D, and IP strategies in a manner that promotes synergistic resonances among them. We are also working constantly to build a robust and broad network of patents for our major business segments and important products, to maintain our competitive edge.
The four IP functions of planning and foundations, technologies and strategies, research and analysis, and contracts and relationships are housed within the Intellectual Property Department, to promote IP activities that inform and promote R&D and business activities from the standpoint of each function.

Six Pillars of the IP Strategies of the Newly Integrated Company: IP design - The integration of Showa Denko and Shows Denko Materials has enabled us to design our patent portfolio around a wide range of businesses. The integrated IP divisions are thus enacting an aggressive IP policy to strengthen our global IP position. Management system - Our proprietary SWIPS IP management system has been refined to develop the new SWIPS2 system, which is capable of integrated management of the patent portfolios of both Showa Denko and Showa Denko Materials. This system is scheduled to go into effect at the same time as the integration of the two companies. IP analysis / AI - The integration of IP landscape functions has made it possible to provide IP-related advice to a wide range of areas of the organization, encompassing everything from R&D to management, while allowing IP functions to be employed in new business exploration. Furthermore, we are strengthening the functions of our Al-powered patent reading support systems (ai-PAT and ai-SRT). Public relations - Public relations activities related to IP are one way of advertising the strength of our technology and IP capabilities. We plan to inform stakeholders about the synergistic benefits of the integration of IP, along with other matters, through future public relations activities. Patent monitoring - Our patent monitoring system is a bulwark that protects our operations. By enhancing this system and how it is used, we are now able to develop optimal monitoring systems based on the circumstances surrounding our business and our patent strategies. IP planning - By sharing IP utilization activities, such as the ToBiWo* IP utilization workshop. we aim to strengthen the connections between people as well as the connections between people and information and to promote integration. * Name and associated graphics are registered trademarks. Support for businesses through IP that informs business activities and R&D and drives management strategies Evolution into a world-leading IP company that coordinates business strategies, R&D strategies, and IP strategies to create new businesses and grow existing businesses