Initiatives for Intellectual Property

Basic Approach

We recognize that intellectual property is an important business asset, and in order for this to contribute to our corporate and technology strategies, we are promoting IP activities to ensure the freedom and competitive advantage of our global operations.
Furthermore, in order to realize the Toyota Boshoku group’s materiality, we will further strengthen our intellectual property by establishing a priority patent network, in addition to achieving the KPI for the number of patent applications.
We are also committed to respecting the intellectual property of others, and perform thorough investigation to ensure that neither our products nor our R&D infringes on any intellectual property.

IP Governance Structure

In addition to the existing IP Committee and IP Promotion Committee Working Group, since fiscal 2024 reports have been made at the annual Board of Directors meeting in order to implement effective oversight by the Board of Directors, and discussions concerning IP strategies have been undertaken at the R&D Segment Planning Meeting, an executive meeting.
Throughout our business we have appointed committee members with responsibility for intellectual property to each engineering division in order to carry out our intellectual property initiatives more actively. We are also building a system for coordinating discussion and information sharing regarding routine intellectual property activities. In addition, a dedicated person is appointed from the strategic planning division of each business to be in charge of intellectual property strategy planning, and this person is assigned to the Intellectual Property Strategy Division to further strengthen cooperation with the strategic planning division.
Additionally, we are working to strengthen our systems, promoting cooperation between our central R&D business in Japan and R&D sites in the Americas, China, Asia, Europe & Africa regions.

IP governance structure chart

Three Pillars of IP Activities

In order for our company and products to appeal to as many people as possible, we are addressing the three pillars of Intellectual property, Human capital, and Intellectual property investment as assets that contribute to our management and technology strategies. We are promoting this with the total participation of the management level and all members of related divisions.

Intellectual property

Visualization of patent asset value

We use the Patent Asset Index, provided in PatentSight by LexisNexis, as an objective measure of our patents held in order to ascertain the current status of patents and conduct a comparative analysis with our competitors.

Business size (sales) / Patent Asset Index

Establishing a priority patent network for technologies to be insourced

In order to realize our 2030 Target, namely, to “become a company as the Interior Space Creator which contributes in solving social issues while expanding product range and customer base,” we are strengthening our intellectual property by establishing a priority patent network for technologies to be insourced in the future based on our product roadmap.

Percentage of patent applications in the priority patent network

Human capital in IP activites

Developing creative human resources

Our goal is to develop creative people who can continue to generate ideas. Through proactive patent application activities, we are increasing the number of opportunities to create ideas and the ratio of inventors among all engineers, leading to the development of creative human resources and fostering a culture of creativity.

Number of inventors/ratio of inventors

Strengthening collaboration with R&D divisions

In addition to in-house IP training, we transfer dedicated IP strategists from R&D divisions and carry out job rotation with R&D divisions to accelerate skill enhancement. We are also promoting more effective IP activities by strengthening collaboration with these divisions.

Collaboration with engineering divisions

Intellectual property investment

Strengthening intellectual property in the seat business

In 2022, with the aim of further strengthening the competitiveness of our automotive seat business, we acquired Aisin Shiroki Corporation’s commercial rights in automotive seat frames and mechanism components for Suzuki Motor Corporation, Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd., and Mazda Motor Corporation. As a result, we acquired about 200 patent rights held by Aisin Shiroki Corporation and others, making us the global leader in the number of patents held in automotive seat frames and functional components.

Number of patents held in automotive seat frames and functional components

DX in IP Activities

We have been promoting business process reform in IP activities since fiscal 2022, and in fiscal 2025 systematized 100% of documents used in IP operations. Furthermore, we are promoting the use of AI in our patent search operations. In the future, we will further expand the use of AI to ensure prompt and efficient business operations and the creation of added value.