Fuji Electric Review
Intellectual Property Strategy

Positioning intellectual property (IP) rights as one of the most important management resources, Fuji Electric is working to implement IP strategies that are aligned with its business and R&D strategies to contribute to the strengthening and expansion of its globalization-compatible business.

Intellectual Property Policy

  • Strengthen IP activities that extend back into the stages of business planning and R&D

  • Investigate and respond to overseas IP systems and their current statuses and reinforce IP activities at overseas bases

  • Promote international standardization activities

Main Activities

IP Activities in the Initial Stages of Business

We have been endeavoring to formulate IP strategies from the business and R&D theme planning stage. As a result, we have been confirming business and R&D directives in the drafting of IP strategies based on patent analysis and surveys, while continuing to develop patent portfolios that ensure a strong advantage in business activities.

In its continuous efforts to strengthen coordination with business and development divisions, Fuji Electric is going to make more active use of its IP portfolios.

Main Fields for Patent Applications

  • Patents relating to increasing the efficiency and energy savings of power electronics products

  • Patents pertaining to power semiconductors, such as those for SiC-related technologies

  • Patents relating to vending machines and other areas of the food and beverage distribution field

Global IP Activities

Fuji Electric continues to address overseas IP issues and implement measures against counterfeit products to minimize business risks related to IP.

In fiscal 2018, we implemented various measures such as advancing Internet surveillance in China in order to counter risks associated with counterfeit products and IP.

As part of our contribution to international standardization movements, we have been actively collaborating with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), an international institution responsible for developing standards for electric and electronic technologies, while also working closely with academic societies and industry organizations in Japan and abroad.

Proactive promotion of our intellectual property

At product exhibitions such as IIFES (Innovative Industry Fair for E x E Solutions), we are actively promoting (*1) patents that support the technical features of our products and services in order to increase customer appeal for our products and services.

*1

Patented and patent-pending marks are displayed on exhibited products in order to show the use of patented technology along with the products’ other features.

Patent promotion for exhibited products (example)

Future Activities

Against a backdrop of increasing globalization, Fuji Electric will move ahead with initiatives linked to its business and R&D strategies as well as IP activities aimed at addressing IP issues faced overseas. We will also seek to contribute to business through proposal activities based on global standards in light of the trend toward IoT.

Number of Patents Held and Patent Applications

Number of Patents Held and Patent Applications

International Standardization

We will now describe Fuji Electric’s international standardization as it pertains to our IP strategy.

Fuji Electric’s International Standardization

As one of our management policies, we are aiming to expand and grow our business globally. To facilitate this, we have been maintaining and further strengthening our international standardization activities. For example, we established an in-house committee of international standardization in 2014. Since then we have been developing international standardization strategies with a particular focus on developing rules for the energy and environmental sectors.

In terms of developing human resources for international standardization activities, one of our initiatives has been to actively participate in the “Young Professionals Program”*1 sponsored by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). We have been successful nearly every year in producing representatives for Japan, which has a delegation of only 3 members. Similarly, we have been continuously producing graduates of the “ISO/IEC Young Professionals Japan Program ” sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and have been dispatching them to the previously-mentioned training program in order to help fulfill our companywide vision of training young professionals capable of playing a leading role in international conferences and commissions in the future.

*1

：IEC Young Professionals Programme