Based on the mid-to long-term “Develop a Business Culture that Respects Intellectual Property” policy, we continuously enhance our intellectual property framework, working with the Intellectual Property Division, the R&D Division and the Production Technology Development Division. We also promote intellectual property initiatives according to development and business strategies. In FY2010, as a part of our CSR activities, we provided support activities as our contribution to encouraging the creation of intellectual properties for SII eco-friendly products.

To encourage inventions and enhance SII’s technological competitiveness, we established invention incentive system since FY1965. In April 2005, this system was revised in line with the amended Japanese Patent Law Article 35. This attractive system motivates individual inventors to obtain upper-level patents.

To further enhance invention incentive, we also established and have been operating a new incentive system for an inventor with multiple inventions since FY2009.

As of April 2011, the SII Group owns about 2,000 patents in Japan and about 3,200 patents overseas.

We established intellectual property education programs based on the level of each employee’s understanding. The education program aims to develop employee knowledge and awareness for developing strong patents and preventing infringement of competitor’s patents, as well as enhancing motivation in the area of intellectual property.

We have been actively supporting intellectual propertyrelated associations which strive to achieve an intellectual property-based nation. SII dispatches committee members and lecturers, and provides comments on proposals from the associations to the Patent Agency, as well as promoting local intellectual property strategies.