Intellectual property department being active in pro-patent era

Activity related to intellectual properties such as patents is done by Intellectual Property Dept. of Kawasaki Steel and Patent & Technical Information Business Div. of Kawasaki Steel Techno-Research Corp. (KTEC). Kawasaki Steel established a system in 1996 that meets all kinds of requirements made in the so called pro-patent era. The main focus is on (1) patenting its own technologies, (2) respecting the patents of other companies and (3) effective use of its own patents. The number of patents filed annually increased to reach a maximum of about 2,400 in 1993 and now remains at a level of about 1,300. Most of them are in the field of steel as a matter of course for a steel company. The number of patents granted and maintained in Japan is about 4 400 while it is about 2,800 abroad. The number of patents granted to Kawasaki Steel in the USA is one of the greatest among the steel companies in the world. The income made on the basis of technology began surpassing the expenditure in 1979. The balance between them has increased since then. The annual internal use of patents granted and its benefit have reached about 300 in number and about four billion yen, respectively.