Intellectual Property
Basic Policy
Kaneka’s Intellectual Property Department, operating directly under the President, secures intellectual property rights, such as patents for our R&B results, aiming to provide prompt solutions to help resolve social issues.
All our researchers and engineers recognize intellectual property as one of the outputs of R&B+P activities and actively seek to acquire intellectual property rights for their achievements including know-how.
We also provide training and other initiatives to ensure that sales staff understand the importance of intellectual property and are able to bring it to bear in their work.
The Intellectual Property Department handles shared global intellectual property and the intellectual property of Group companies in Japan. In the Americas, Europe, and Asia, we have put a framework in place to respond directly to local issues, assigning intellectual property specialists to each regional headquarters. To avoid intellectual property risks and the leak of trade secrets at Group companies in Japan and overseas, we are also shoring up cooperation between the various Group companies and the Intellectual Property Department.
To respect the intellectual property rights of others and avoid patent disputes, we always carry out patent and trademark searches at various stages in the business development process, such as theme proposals, commercialization, specification changes, and brand naming, taking every possible precaution to ensure clearance.
In 2019, to give R&B members greater incentive to file patents, we put in place a system to reward employees when they file to patent their inventions. The system is beginning to bear fruit, with the number of patent applications increasing.
After revising the Corporate Governance Code in 2021, we continue taking actions to improve our governance of intellectual property. The director in charge of the Intellectual Property Department receives reports and gives directions at monthly reporting meetings. The heads of the business and research divisions and the general manager of the Intellectual Property Department also meet yearly to better share the direction of Intellectual Property Department activities and better coordinate the intellectual property strategy and the business and research strategies of each division.
Strategic Intellectual Property Portfolio Construction
In fiscal 2021, we applied for patents and obtained rights with a focus on technological fields that aid our bio-manufacturing and environmental efforts.
In Japan, we received patent approval for an application related to a plant transformation method using our proprietary gene delivery technology. We were also granted a patent following an application for a structural adhesive using a polymer resin compositions with excellent mechanical strength.
In the U.S., KANEKA Biodegradable Polymer Green Planet™ has been granted patent approval for an application related to enzymes that are key in the production of polymeric polymers and in industrial production. An application has also been registered relating to the intermediate structure of iED Coil™ for cerebral aneurysm embolization.
In terms of technologies for tackling environmental issues, in the U.S., we were able to apply for planarization technology for perovskite solar cells, an important technology that we have marked as a new challenge and priority theme. In China, we succeeded in obtaining rights for an application related to the intermediate layer.
Actively Using Data
IP Landscape™ Initiatives
We are also making use of IP landscape™, a system that combines intellectual and non-intellectual property information for analysis. In fiscal 2021, we have deployed dedicated personnel to identify the needs of the R&B departments and explore our own IP landscape™ through trial and error, seeking to determine what kind of information is useful in what kind of situation.
To this end, we started out by classifying our own technology. We also explored what kind of technologies Kaneka could develop to address the global issue of carbon neutrality, among other issues. Through such efforts, we aim to contribute to Kaneka’s patent application and business strategies.
IP landscape™ is a registered trademark of Shobayashi International Patent & Trademark Office.
Robust Promotion of Intellectual Property and Digital Transformation
To check for relevant prior art, we have embarked on an attempt to use rapidly advancing AI search tools to optimize our pre-patent application prior art search while shortening the timeframe required for reporting. Convinced of the prospect of shorter lead times until the filing of patent applications, we will further explore the use of these tools and work to help speed up R&B activities.
We are also exploring the application of AI tools to SDI searches, in which R&B members routinely check for new patent applications or article submissions by competitors. This tool is an AI-based automatic classification function which extract patent information related to needed technologies more efficiently from the SDI search result population including patent information across a variety of technical fields. If applying this tool is feasible, we expect it to free up time for R&B members to use for their own research.
Patent Valuation
We introduced LexisNexis’ PatentSight™ in fiscal 2020 and are using it to evaluate patent value. In one instance, we used the Patent Asset Index™ that various other companies are exploring to confirm changes in the overall value of our patents, finding that the value has remained roughly flat for the past 10 years. Going forward, we plan to focus on the value of our patents as well as the number of patent applications filed and rights held, aiming to shape an intellectual property portfolio that contributes to our businesses.
PatentSight™ and Patient Asset Index™ are registered trademarks of PatentSight GmbH.
Number of Patents Held
We are actively filing domestic and foreign patent applications to secure intellectual property rights with a view toward transforming our business portfolio.
In fiscal 2021, we newly registered 258 domestic patents and 280 foreign patents.
At the same time, we strive to manage our intellectual property expenses efficiently, actively abandoning unused patents. At the end of fiscal 2021, we held 3,285 domestic patents and 3,473 foreign patents, roughly on a par with the previous fiscal year.
We will continue to work with the Corporate Research & Business Division to reinforce our intellectual property portfolio.
Number of Domestic Patents Held
Number of Foreign Patents Held
“Divergent Discussion” and “Edge of Technology” as Starting Points!
- Cultivating the ability to identify future seeds
Fiscal 2021 marked the fourth year of our initiative to cultivate Kaneka’s ability to identify future seeds (first stage). We launched a new initiative (second stage), in which employees who participated in the first stage and have a strong desire to continue their explorations aiming for a higher level can choose to take part in more in-depth discussions. Under the keywords “Divergent Discussion” and “Edge of Technology,” these ambitious members gather together again, each bringing their own topics of interest, to further hone their ability to create seeds for the future.
