The OEM was listed in the 2016 Top 100 Global Innovators list by Clarivate Analytics.
Epson stated that it had been listed by the former “intellectual property and science business of Thomson Reuters”, and that it has been “named to the list every year since its inception in 2011”. The list’s “methodology analyses patents across four main criteria” – volume, success, globalisation and influence – and Epson was selected “largely in recognition of its success rate, a metric that indicates the ratio of patents granted to the number of applications filed”.
Clarivate Analytics’ Hirofumi Hino presented Epson’s Toshiya Takahata, Executive Officer and General Administrative Manager of the OEM’s Intellectual Property Division, with “a trophy to commemorate the occasion”, with Epson adding that it “files about 4,000 patent applications a year” and “holds and maintains about 50,000 patents globally”, working with “patent agencies in 20 countries or more at any given time”.
For the 2015 financial year, in patent rankings, the OEM was seventh in Japan “for the number of patents awarded”, 16th in the USA and 15th in China “among foreign companies”, and it added that it “possesses world-class IP capabilities and is an industry leader in patent quantity and quality in product categories such as inkjet printers and projectors”.
Takahata commented: “I am extremely pleased and proud that Epson has once again been honoured with inclusion on the Top 100 Global Innovators list. Epson’s business strategies and intellectual property strategies are closely linked under the Epson 25 Corporate Vision. The acquisition of high-quality patents that contribute to our business is a high priority for us. I think Clarivate Analytics was able to see and appreciate what we have been doing, and that’s why we again made the Top 100 Global Innovators list.
“Intellectual property expands the potential of Epson’s current businesses as well as our future businesses. The Intellectual Property Division will continue to work closely with research and development departments to achieve Epson’s aim of becoming a truly indispensable company by creating products and services that help to make the world a better place.”