Risk Management: Intellectual Property Protection
Our Approach
SUBARU, after identifying its strengths and weaknesses, has put together a vision for its intellectual property activities with aims to achieve the brand management outlined in its mid-term management vision “STEP.” The following is the three-point basic policy being carried out.
Basic Intellectual Property Policy
- Function as a compass for business and R&D strategies using the IP landscape*
- Throughout SUBARU, we will dedicate ourselves to creating intellectual properties that originate from the market and appropriately manage our intellectual property portfolio to protect and enhance its brand
- SUBARU will respect the intellectual property rights of others and work thoroughly for patent clearance in product development
- *
- In combination with market information on intellectual properties, analyzes the business environment and support strategic plans
In addition, to aid in minimizing intellectual property risk through business activities that respect the Group’s intellectual property, protecting, expanding and securing an advantage in business, and protecting the SUBARU brand and maximizing its value, we have established the SUBARU Group Intellectual Property Policy to set guidelines for the following activities.
- Business activities that respect intellectual property
- Management and effective utilization of intellectual property
- Handling lawsuits
- The SUBARU corporate brand logo
Management System
Intellectual Property Promotion System
Initiatives
At SUBARU, the Intellectual Property Department manages, protects, and utilizes intellectual property rights belonging to SUBARU and also implements internal activities that aim to avoid infringing on the intellectual property rights of others. The following are specific activities being undertaken.
- Support the proposal of strategies using the intellectual property landscape
- Acquire rights for intellectual properties, including technologies, trademarks, naming, and design, and adequately manage the intellectual property portfolio
- Conduct a comprehensive survey on the existence of intellectual property rights which may hinder business operations and take measures to prevent and resolve such issues
- Crack down on counterfeit goods globally, including protection measures at borders for oversight and taxation of online sales
- Secure intellectual properties, ownership of data, and user rights in technology and business contracts
- Support the management, protection, and utilization of intellectual property by each SUBARU Group company based on the SUBARU Group’s Basic Intellectual Property Policy
In the future, we will work to further strengthen the monitoring of the above efforts by the management team.
Awareness Activities
At SUBARU, the Intellectual Property Department works with each SUBARU Group company, regularly taking the following awareness activities to instill behavior in compliance with laws and regulations.
- Implementing rank-specific training for employees involved in development, tailored to their year of entry into the Company and their position (participants in FYE March 2022: approximately 550), and expanding on-demand education content to support autonomous learning by employees
- Implementing awareness activities through the Patent Promotion Committee, an organization promoting the creation of inventions and patent application activities in each department
- Development departments are surveying the intellectual property rights of other parties and securing patent clearance
Other Matters for Reporting
SUBARU is a participant in the Open COVID-19 Declaration initiative with the objective of preventing the spread of COVID-19, and has declared that it will not exercise SUBARU’s intellectual property rights with regard to activities with the purpose of ending the spread of COVID-19.