Intellectual Property Initiatives | Governance | Sustainability

Basic Policy

"Committing to the highest legal and intellectual property standards to strengthen and protect our business." This statement represents Kyocera's basic principle concerning legal and intellectual property (hereafter IP) activities. Amid rapidly changing markets and evolving societal demands, the Kyocera Group holds an unyielding standard for IP principles and practices.

Organizational Structure

Global Five-regional Legal and IP System

Kyocera has established "Intellectual Property Management Guidelines" and assigned liaison officers to our main sites in order that Kyocera smoothly obtain, maintain intellectual property, and conduct licensing negotiation relating to our intellectual property. Working closely with our Intellectual Property Division, we are thrived to further protect and utilize our intellectual property for our business.
Kyocera has also established "Global Five-regional Legal and IP System" to proactively utilize the intellectual property of Kyocera Group and to manage intellectual property risks around the world. Under this System, we divide the world into five regions (Americas, Europe・Middle East・Africa, Japan・Korea, China, and Asia-Pacific) and work to coordinate and share information among Kyocera Group companies in each region.

Brand Management Committee

We installed a Brand Management Committee to establish a uniform corporate identity, promote awareness, and enhance the Kyocera Group's brand value.

"TORQUE," "Enerezza," "cocochical," and "Aquala" are registered trademarks of KYOCERA Corporation

IP Activities Integrated with Business

Integration of Business and IP Strategies

Kyocera focuses on "integrating IP strategy into business strategy" as part of our basic operations. We provide and assess the IP landscape* during initial business planning to reinforce each segment.

Analysis combining IP factors with other business, scientific and technological trends

IP Activities that Sustain Competitive Advantage

In a growing range of fields, the competitive advantages of superior IP and intangible assets hold the key to higher profits and market share. Having profit to reinvest allows us to continuously improve our technologies, further reinforcing our intangible assets including IP. This cycle represents the IP strategy supporting our business.

Competitive Advantages of Semiconductor Ceramic Packages

The above-mentioned cycle is reflected in ceramic semiconductor packages, one of Kyocera's core businesses. A patent analysis * for miniaturization technology shows that Kyocera's IP portfolio has grown in value continuously in recent years, and that Kyocera's IP and intangible assets give us an edge over other companies reflected as A, B, and C in the graph. This has supported our strong profit performance and market share, which are key to growth. In the three-year period ending in March 2026, the Kyocera Group plans to make capital investments totaling 850 billion yen on a consolidated basis. Half of this investment will go toward semiconductor-related businesses, including ceramic packages.

patent analysis : Analyzed using PatentSight from LexisNexis

images: Analysis of Miniaturization Technology Patents

Visualizing How IP Contributes to Business

To visualize how IP contributes to our business, we convert the results of IP activities including patent licensing and risk reduction into monetary values using our own calculation methods. Using this data, we set target amounts by fiscal year as key performance indicators (KPI), which provide a clear picture of IP activities and measurable results.

images: Value of Contributions to Business

The Number of Kyocera Patents

In order to maintain our technological ability to propose solutions to diversified markets, we are developing diversified management strategies while obtaining patents in Japan and overseas for various fields.
The Kyocera Group is working to strengthen its intellectual property, with the number of patents held in Japan and overseas increasing year by year.

【Calculation conditions for graph】
The total number of patents owned by the Kyocera Group and affiliated companies' as of the end of December 2023.

images: The Number of Kyocera Patent — The Number of Kyocera Patent

IP Achievements that Protect Our Environment

Digital Textile Printing

Kyocera offers a unique value proposition in the emerging field of digital textile printing, where our inkjet technology dramatically reduces water consumption; yields a beautiful yet durable fabric, with smooth, delicate feel; and greatly simplifies location setting by requiring only a very small footprint. Our proprietary inkjet printheads apply pre-treatment liquid, pigmented ink, and finishing agent in a single process. Kyocera has submitted more than 50 patent applications associated with these unique technologies to further enhance our business.

LED Lighting Technology: Conserving Biodiversity

Kyocera has developed innovative LED lighting technology that helps conserve biodiversity.

Aquarium Lighting

Kyocera's CERAPHIC^® LED lighting creates a spectrum very close to that of natural sunlight, making it suitable for growing a wide range of aquatic plants and animals. CERAPHIC has been adopted by marine institutions as an ideal light source for aquariums. This unique technology is protected by a number of patents.

Acroporidae (coral) generates its vivid natural coloration under CERAPHIC lighting

images: Standard fluorescent lighting — Standard fluorescent lighting

images: CERAPHIC lighting — CERAPHIC lighting

Dwarf Rice

With its superior performance in replicating the spectrum of natural sunlight, Kyocera's LED lighting offers great potential in indoor Controlled-Environment Agriculture (CEA) as well. Kyocera is now developing technology for dwarf rice cultivation using its LED lighting. To maximize future business potential, we integrate IP development into business strategy from the earliest phases of planning.

Use of Intellectual Property

The Kyocera Group is actively promoting the use of intellectual property, and has established the Kyocera Group Intellectual Property Site as part of this effort. This site briefly introduces some of Kyocera's proprietary technologies and strives to create business opportunities with interested companies. In some cases, it has actually developed into collaboration.

Kyocera Group Intellectual Property Site

Measures against counterfeit products

The Kyocera Group is implementing diverse measures in various countries around the world to protect customers from the harm caused by counterfeit products, and to enable product use with peace of mind. Kyocera monitors mail order web sites and distribution sites around the world looking for counterfeit products. Vendors selling counterfeit products are given warning or are reported to authorities and are asked to pledge they will no longer handle the products. They are requested to destroy stocks and reveal the names of their suppliers. Kyocera also uses hologram seals to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit products for some products, such as toner containers, making it easier to determine whether a product is authentic.

Precautions regarding counterfeit Kyocera products

images: Counterfeit ceramic knife — Counterfeit ceramic knife

Intellectual property protection activities by the Kyocera Group

Kyocera Document Solutions Inc. Intellectual Property Protection