SII considers intellectual property as an important resource for business activities and actively works on acquiring development results as intellectual assets and utilizing them. Our medium- to long-term policy is "fostering a corporate culture that respects and values intellectual property." The intellectual property department and each business division work together in collaboration with the management strategy department to conduct intellectual property activities for new business creation and business division support.

In 2022, Seiko Future Creation Inc. was established with the primary functions of group-wide R&D and production technology development, business support, and cross-group new business development. Going forward, we will strengthen our collaboration with Seiko Future Creation Inc. to enhance the building of intellectual property that contributes to the growth of the Seiko Group.

Based on technology development that originated from watchmaking, SII differentiates its products based on patented technologies. As of March 2024, we hold 607 domestic patents and 679 overseas patents. By steadily working with inventors on activities to secure rights, the intellectual property department has achieved an upward spiral that also leads to improved quality of new applications by inventors.

SII is advancing the construction of an intellectual property information system that forms the foundation of our intellectual property strategy. The system links our internal IP management system with patent search systems for other companies' patents, and further integrates with patent map creation and analysis systems, enabling more effective intellectual property management. In recent years, we have expanded our patent search system by adding an AI-powered text mining patent search module to the existing system. By promoting its use throughout the company, we are contributing to reducing the patent search burden on inventors and engineers.