Best in class Meet the Asia IP Elite which helped us to identify those Asian After an in-depth research process to companies that are filing the most identify companies in the Asia-Pacific applications with the US Patent and region with world-class IP functions Trademark Office, the Japan Patent Office and the European Patent Office, and are and strategies, IAM reveals those thus truly global IP players. The research that lead the field and takes a closer also used court activity as a metric to look at their operations determine companies’ commitment to asserting their IP rights – albeit that By Seher Hussain, Justin Kung and plaintiff and defendant positions can, of Virna Chung course, suggest different things when it comes to assessing whether companies are Asia has become an undisputed global engaging in constructive, sustainable use of innovation hub. From emerging domestic intellectual property. We also looked at the enterprises to established household names, outside advisers that companies use: those Asian companies are taking centre stage prepared to invest money in hiring top-tier as the balance of economic power shifts domestic and international players were eastwards. As they stake their claims in the considered to have consciously prioritised global marketplace, ensuring that they have quality of work above pricing issues. To us, the necessary expertise to create, manage, this signalled recognition of intellectual commercialise and drive strategic value property as an asset of primary importance. from their intellectual property will be vital Globally recognised brand rankings and to their continued success. brand value/equity listings were additionally Last year, the IAM editorial team factored into the research process. revealed the China IP Elite – those Chinese The qualitative side of the research companies that have made the greatest took into account the combined experience strides in developing their IP assets and of Asia-based IP professionals and the strategies. This year, in the lead-up to global IP community. By interviewing the inaugural IP Business Congress Asia, local chief IP officers, general counsel, taking place in Singapore this November, private practitioners, investors, patent the project has been extended to identify brokers, aggregators and valuation experts, companies HQed in the Asia-Pacific region we were able to drill down into specific with the very best strategies for maximising examples of IP best practice and obtain the value of the intellectual property that recommendations of companies whose they own. To the best of our knowledge, strategies merited further exploration. this is the first time that such research has Candidates identified through the been undertaken. quantitative research were discussed further in interviews with research participants, in Research and selection process order to verify the calibre of the work being The IAM editorial team researched the Asia done by, and capabilities of, their respective IP Elite intensively over a two-month period IP teams. Meanwhile, by speaking to IP from both a qualitative and quantitative professionals outside of Asia, we were able perspective. The latter was assessed with to gain greater insight into the activities of the assistance of data provider Inovia, Asian companies that have established an 70 Intellectual Asset Management November/December 2013 www.iam-magazine.com Asia IP Elite Acer Honda Motor Company Samsung Group Headquarters: Xizhi, New Taipei, Taiwan Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan Headquarters: Seoul, South Korea Industry: Computer hardware Industry: Automotive, engineering Industry: Electronics, information technology, semiconductors Agency for Science, Technology and Huawei Technologies Research (A*STAR) Headquarters: Shenzhen, China Seiko Epson Corporation Headquarters: Singapore Industry: Telecommunications Headquarters: Suwa, Nagano, Japan Industry: R&D Industry: Electronics, imaging Hyundai Motor Group Alibaba Group Headquarters: Seoul, South Korea SK Group Headquarters: Hangzhou, China Industry: Automotive Headquarters: Seoul, South Korea Industry: Internet, e-commerce Industry: Energy, telecommunications, Industrial Technology Research Institute semiconductors ASUSTeK Computer (ITRI) Headquarters: Taipei, Taiwan Headquarters: Hsinchu, Taiwan Sony Corporation Industry: Computer hardware Industry: R&D institute Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan Industry: Electronics, media & Baidu Kao Corporation entertainment, semiconductors Headquarters: Beijing, China Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan Industry: Internet Industry: Personal care, chemicals Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Canon Lenovo Group Headquarters: Hsinchu, Taiwan Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan Headquarters: Beijing, China; Morrisville, Industry: Semiconductors Industry: Electronics, imaging United States Industry: Computer hardware Takeda Pharmaceutical Casio Computer Headquarters: Osaka, Japan Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan LG Corporation Industry: Pharmaceuticals Industry: Electronics Headquarters: Seoul, South Korea Industry: Electronics, chemicals, Tata Technologies Cochlear telecommunications Headquarters: Mumbai, India Headquarters: Sydney, Australia Industry: Information technology Industry: Biomedical MediaTek Headquarters: Hsinchu, Taiwan Tencent Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Industry: Semiconductors Headquarters: Shenzhen, China Research Organisation (CSIRO) Industry: Internet Headquarters: Canberra, Australia Mitsubishi Electric Corporation Industry: R&D institute Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan Toshiba Corporation Industry: Electrical equipment, electronics Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan Creative Technology Industry: Electronics, semiconductors Headquarters: Singapore NEC Corporation Industry: Electronics Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan Toyota Motor Corporation Industry: Information technology, electronics Headquarters: Toyota, Japan CSL Industry: Automotive Headquarters: Melbourne, Australia New Zealand Rugby Union Industry: Biotechnology Headquarters: Wellington, New Zealand Treasury Wine Estates Industry: Sport Headquarters: Melbourne, Australia Electronics and Telecommunications Industry: Winemaking Research Institute (ETRI) Nikon Corporation Headquarters: Daejeon, South Korea Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan Tsinghua University Industry: R&D Institute Industry: Electronics, imaging Headquarters: Beijing, China Industry: R&D institute Fujifilm Nintendo Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan Headquarters: Kyoto, Japan Uniqlo Industry: Electronics, imaging Industry: Video games, consumer Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan electronics Industry: Fashion, retail Fujitsu Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan Panasonic Corporation United Microelectronics Corporation Industry: Computer hardware, computer Headquarters: Osaka, Japan Headquarters: Hsinchu, Taiwan software Industry: Electronics, semiconductors, Industry: Semiconductors home appliances Haier Group Wipro Headquarters: Qingdao, China Renesas Electronics Corporation Headquarters: Bangalore, India Industry: Household Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan Industry: Information technology appliances Industry: Semiconductors ZTE Corporation Hitachi Group ResMed Headquarters: Shenzhen, China Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan Headquarters: San Diego, United States Industry: Telecommunications Industry: Electronics Industry: Medical equipment www.iam-magazine.com Intellectual Asset Management November/December 2013 71 Best in class international reputation for their strategic new revenue streams. Their respect for use of intellectual property. intellectual property is beginning to In identifying the Asia IP Elite, we have translate into a zero-tolerance approach to focused not on the IP assets that these infringement – whether of their own rights companies own, but rather on how those or, in the case of China’s leading online assets are used and integrated into overall platforms, the rights of others. business strategy. To be a member of the Hot on the PRC’s heels come Taiwan Asia IP Elite, a company must: and South Korea. The former is enjoying • Place IP strategy at the centre of its something of an IP renaissance as its business. original equipment manufacturers • Obtain demonstrable, significant and shift their focus to developing their ongoing value from intellectual property own proprietary technologies and as a direct result of the strategies that it commercialising own-branded products. employs. Meanwhile, South Korea’s sprawling • Ensure that there is a direct line from conglomerates have fast become the new the IP function to senior management. pretenders to the tech throne, building up • Have a senior management that formidable portfolios to rival those of the understands the operational and industry incumbents. This has inevitably strategic importance of and potential in made them a target for litigation, but they intellectual property. are proving shrewd opponents. • Constantly reappraise and improve on By contrast, Indian companies are just its IP strategy in order to take advantage beginning to wake up to the importance of of market developments. intellectual property and are thus notable largely for their absence from the tables Conclusions – although the two players which made The Asia IP Elite comprises 48 companies the cut are at the very top of their game and other entities. While we came across and can compete on an international scale. many organisations in the region with a Australia is another country with fewer strong commitment to intellectual property representatives than perhaps would be and well-developed strategies for its expected: