Epson named among Derwent Top 100 Global Innovators for eighth consecutive year

Epson has been listed among the Derwent Top 100 Global Innovators 2018-19 announced by Philadelphia-based Clarivate Analytics for the eighth consecutive year.

Epson is also among the best of the best being one of only 35 organisations to have been recognised for the eighth year in a row since the inception of the program in 2011. These innovators exhibit consistently strong performance in successfully obtaining rights to their innovation, seeking wide protection and global markets for potential products and services based on that innovation and are recognised by their peers as creating leading innovation for others to build on.

Epson regularly files high volumes of patent applications and had good success this year in converting these to granted patent rights. The company also showed improved performance in global filing of inventions filing more within the Quadrilateral authorities (US, Japan, China and Europe) than last year.

Epson has a significant number of patents globally and is working with patent agencies in 20 countries or more at any given time. In the patent rankings for 2017, Epson ranked ninth in Japan for the number of patents awarded, 22nd in the U.S., and 16th in China (among foreign companies).

Toshiya Takahata, executive officer and general administrative manager of Epson’s Corporate Planning Division and Intellectual Property Division, said: “It is an honour to be selected as one of the Derwent Top 100 Global Innovators for the eighth consecutive year.

“Based on our Epson 25 corporate vision, we closely align our business and intellectual property strategies, and focus on acquiring high-quality patents that will contribute significantly to our business. We therefore believe that award criteria are important indicators of the success of our strategy and take this award as evidence of the quality and global reach of our intellectual property. As stated in its Management Philosophy, Epson seeks to become an indispensable company, an ambition that Epson considers to be consistent with the realisation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. We will continue to conduct our business and pursue intellectual property activities with the aim of creating a sustainable society.”