Intellectual Property Initiatives

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," " FOREARTH" "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.

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 business, Kyocera calculates the value that its IP activities contributes to business. This value is calculated based on 1) increase sales attributable to owning patents covering our products, 2) income from patent licensing, and 3) reduction of licensing expenditures due to cross-licensing and negotiations. We examine this value each year as a key performance indicator (KPI), which provides a clear picture of the growth and economic value of our IP activities. The results of our IP activities can be seen in the increase in value of their contribution to our business.

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 June 2024.

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

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