Title: Effects of integrating patents and standards on intellectual property management and corporate innovativeness in Japanese electric machine corporations

Authors: Suguru Tamura

Addresses: Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 29-7 Building, 1-3-10 Nishi-Waseda, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 169-0051, Japan

Abstract: This paper discusses current organisational innovations in intellectual property (IP) management that, with recent advances in networking technology, have arisen from the integration of patents and standards, and the effects of this integration on corporate innovativeness. Through case studies of Japanese electric machine corporations (NEC, Fujitsu and Hitachi), a new IP organisational evolutionary model that accounts for standardisation is presented, and organisational innovations are identified, including patent and standard information management (PSIM) and expanded IP management. PSIM is an information exchange system for the patent clearance of essential patents, and expanded IP management is IP management that considers both standardisation and patent activity. The evolutionary model shows that the exchange of information about patents and standards within an organisation becomes more oriented towards interdivisional exchange of information rather than intradivisional exchange. As a result, organisational innovations arising from the integration of patents and standards are expected to improve corporate innovativeness.

Keywords: organisational innovation; intellectual property management; information management; evolutionary models; Japan; integration; standards; corporate innovativeness; electric machines; multinational corporations; MNCs; networking; networks; NEC Corporation; Fujitsu; Hitachi; electronics industry; standardisation; PSIM; information exchange systems; patent clearance; essential patents; patent activity; interdivisional exchange; intradivisional exchange; technology management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2012.047242

International Journal of Technology Management, 2012 Vol.59 No.3/4, pp.180 - 202

Received: 01 Oct 2010
Accepted: 31 May 2011
Published online: 06 Apr 2013 *

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