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Mitsubishi Electric 1st Among Japanese Firms and 3rd Globally in International Patent Applications Filed in 2020 Using global intellectual-property initiatives to sustainable growth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 3400

TOKYO, March 3, 2021 - Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) announced today that it ranked first among Japanese firms and third globally in terms of international patent applications filed in 2020 according to an announcement by the Switzerland-based World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on March 2. The high rankings reflect Mitsubishi Electric's strategic positioning of intellectual property (IP) as a crucial business resource, including for R&D to support the company's sustainable growth.

Mitsubishi Electric has been actively filing international patent applications in line with its globalizing business. The company has ranked first among Japanese companies for six consecutive years within the top five internationally for seven consecutive years. Mitsubishi Electric has been particularly active in filing patent applications related to IoT- and AI-supported solutions in recent years.

Mitsubishi Electric's international patent applications and rankings

Mitsubishi Electric's IP-development Initiatives

1)IP targeted at business and R&D strategies group-wide
- IP and technical-standards initiatives are closely integrated with business and R&D strategies.
- IP Division under president's direct control at head office coordinates activities of IP divisions in factories, R&D centers and affiliated companies worldwide.
2)Global IP activities and international-standards strategies
- Crucial IP-related initiatives support mainstay businesses and important R&D projects.
- IP patents in promising emerging countries are filed early and proactively.
- Resident officers are assigned to manage IP activities in the U.S.A., Europe, China and Southeast Asia.
- Patents are acquired for international standards ("standard-essential patents") and in fields where competition is intensifying, helping to strengthen product competitiveness and market share.