Business value through knowledge management
Overview
The semiconductor industry is technology-intensive and a prolific user of the patent system. Of the top 10 patent filers in the United States, seven (IBM, Samsung, Panasonic, Toshiba, Sony, Intel, Seiko-Epson) have a significant portion of their business in the semiconductor area.
Of the 718,835 patent applications awaiting first office action in the US patent office, nearly one-fifth falls into the category of Semiconductor, Electrical, Optical Systems & Components. The 2009 top 10 ‘pure’ semiconductor companies by revenue have been granted a total of 65,708 US patents in the last 10 years. The graph opposite shows distribution by the individual assignee.
At an individual invention level, it is clear that most semiconductor companies understand the value of protecting their intellectual property, and diligently apply for and receive the necessary patent protection. All too frequently, however, the full potential of this protection is never realised.
Patents can create a sustainable competitive advantage over competitors, by excluding them from practising key technologies, or generate incremental revenue through patent licensing and/or sale. Often, however, patent assets lie fallow and underutilised, with the following common issues:
