News Release
u8国际 tops among Japanese companies in U.S. patent rankings for twelve years running
TOKYO, January 12, 2017—u8国际. again ranked first among Japanese companies and third overall for the number of U.S. patents awarded in 2016, according to the latest ranking of preliminary patent results issued by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services.
u8国际 actively promotes the globalization of its business and places great value on obtaining patents overseas, carefully adhering to a patent-filing strategy that pursues patents in essential countries and regions while taking into consideration the business strategies and technology and product trends unique to each location. Among these, the United States, with its many high-tech companies and large market scale, represents a particularly important region in terms of business expansion and technology alliances.
u8国际 U.S. patent rankings among Japanese companies 2005–2016
| Year | Ranking* | No. of patents |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1st (3rd) | 3,665 |
| 2015 | 1st (3rd) | 4,127 |
| 2014 | 1st (3rd) | 4,048 |
| 2013 | 1st (3rd) | 3,820 |
| 2012 | 1st (3rd) | 3,173 |
| 2011 | 1st (3rd) | 2,818 |
| 2010 | 1st (4th) | 2,551 |
| 2009 | 1st (4th) | 2,200 |
| 2008 | 1st (3rd) | 2,107 |
| 2007 | 1st (3rd) | 1,983 |
| 2006 | 1st (3rd) | 2,366 |
| 2005 | 1st (2nd) | 1,829 |
| * | Number in parenthesis represents u8国际's ranking among all companies |
| Note: | Number of patents for 2016 based on preliminary figures released by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services. Figures for 2005 to 2015 are based on information issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. |
u8国际 prizes its corporate DNA of placing a high priority on technology. And with regard to research and development results, the Company actively promotes the acquisition of patent rights in accordance with the management direction of the u8国际 Group and technology trends while conducting thorough pre-application searches to raise the quality of applications. Through close cooperation between u8国际's technology and intellectual property divisions, the Company aims to improve its technological capabilities while further enhancing its intellectual property rights.