Journey
Canon Production Printing Intellectual Property team and what we do
Canon Production Printing Netherlands B.V. (CPP) is a leading company specializing in the development of advanced, high-speed printing systems, encompassing both hardware and software solutions for the commercial and industrial printing market. CPP's extensive product portfolio includes continuous feed printers, cut-sheet printers, large format graphics printers, and comprehensive workflow solutions.
CPP's headquarters are located in the green surroundings of Venlo, The Netherlands, situated along the river Maas. Additionally, we have significant operations in Poing, Germany, and Timisoara, Romania. Research and development (R&D) activities are conducted across all these locations, necessitating robust cross-site collaboration. Cross-site collaboration is also required for the IP team activities. The CPP IP team is actively involved in IP activities within CPP and works closely with Canon Inc. IP department located in Japan.
The IP team consists of members located in the Netherlands (CPPN), Germany (CPPG) and Romania (CPPR). Regularly all IP members meet at the Venlo headquarters for IP strategy discussions and patent attorney meetings. The IP team comprises a variety of roles, including patent administrators and formality officers, patent information professionals, and patent attorneys, each bringing unique skills and experiences to the table. The members of the IP team specialize in different areas, such as software, hardware, and imaging supplies and consumables. Whenever a complex technical challenge arises, it is assigned to the IP specialist with the most relevant knowledge and experience, to maximize efficiency and effectiveness in dealing with the technical challenge.
Vignesh Subramanian, shown in this photo, is the newest member and completed the Patent Information course.
IP Strategy
CPP's IP strategy aims at supporting CPP's business and R&D strategies. To align the IP strategy and IP activity with CPP's business strategy, the IP team cooperates closely with the business unit (BU) and the R&D department. The IP team is present in the CPP's IP Steering Committee for operational alignment between R&D and the IP team. For example, the yearly invention disclosure target of R&D is aligned with the R&D program and IP portfolio needs. In addition, the alignment of IP strategy and activities with CPP's business strategy is discussed in the IP Portfolio Management Board wherein the BU, R&D and the IP team are represented. For example, for new business developments, IP portfolio needs are defined and portfolio abandonments for obsolete technologies are decided upon.
The IP strategy addresses the following items:
- Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) portfolio management
IPR generation
IPR maintenance
- IP clearance of products and competitor monitoring
- Third-party cooperation & information management
IPR Portfolio Management
IPR portfolio management involves strengthening and steering IPR generation in specific portfolio areas (in support of business developments) and maintenance of the existing IPR portfolio.
IPR generation
One of the crucial aspects of the IP team's work is protecting inventions emerging from the R&D department. The IP team engages in preliminary discussions with inventors about the contents of the invention. The inventors explain their invention to members of the IP team and can use prototypes and mock-ups to visualize the invention. The IP team member can see the invention brought to practice and hence can understand it accurately. In conclusion, the inventors are advised whether or not to file an invention disclosure form (IDF).
Upon receipt of an IDF, the IP team investigates whether or not it is opportune to file a patent application. The patentability (novelty and inventiveness) is assessed by the IP team and the value of the invention given CPP's businesses and technologies is determined in consultation with R&D management, in line with business strategies. Finally, the IP team drafts, files, and prosecutes patent applications.
Given business developments, the IP team advises the R&D department to enhance the generation of the intellectual property in certain technical areas, for example, "green technology" (GX) or artificial intelligence (AI). Besides, the IP team trains the R&D department on IP awareness, to make R&D members aware that the result of their work may be an invention that could be considered for IP protection and that could distinguish CPP from its competitors.
IPR maintenance
The patent portfolio of CPP is constantly monitored, by periodically evaluating individual patent families on their business relevance and value. The portfolio is discussed with a review committee consisting of peers and maintenance decisions are made. If CPP has decided that certain IPR is no longer relevant and/or valuable, abandonment proposals are submitted to Canon Inc., and executed upon their confirmation that the IPR is no longer relevant and/or valuable.
IP Clearance & Competitor monitoring
Another essential part of the IP team's work is IP clearance of products under development before the commercial release of the product. During the execution of the product development project, the IP team and R&D agree on a project support plan, defining IP clearance aligned with R&D development activities.
Competitor monitoring is also an integral task in IP team's work. In the digital printing world, many new developments are performed and it is important to keep track of that. Technology benchmark investigations are conducted in cooperation with R&D and BU, which contribute to corporate knowledge about competitor IP landscape that can be used in strategy decision-making. For example, in cooperation with R&D, the IP team is conducting a technology benchmark investigation on competitors. This offers R&D the opportunity to compare CPP's technologies under development with competitors' technologies and to identify "white spots" where R&D developments can be steered to, and where IPR generation can be promoted. This approach enables effective and efficient information gathering, with a relatively small IP team.
Third-party cooperation & information management
In a highly innovative and competitive business, information management is very important. The CPP IP team advises the organization in this matter. In product and technology development, R&D cooperates with external academic and commercial partners.
The IP team supports these activities by providing advice on information exchange with these partners and on confidentiality and IP ownership arrangements that need to be covered by the agreements that are prepared by the Legal team.
The IP team also trains CPP's employees to make them aware of IP risks and work-related IP topics the employee may face in any branch of the company.
Conclusion
Working at CPP's IP team is diverse and requires good collaboration with various stakeholders within CPP (BU, R&D, marketing, strategy) and Canon Inc. The IP team engages with different departments and is involved in numerous aspects of the organization. This makes the work interesting and challenging, as each issue requires a particular expertise and knowledge.
(As of January, 2025)
