Epson has been listed among the Clarivate Top 100 Global Innovators 2023, announced by global information services firm Clarivate Analytics, for the tenth time.
“It’s an honour to be selected as one of the Top 100 Global Innovators. Last September, we publicly announced our aspirations in a corporate purpose statement that reads, ‘Our philosophy of efficient, compact and precise innovation enriches lives and helps create a better world’,” Toshihiko Kobayashi, general administrative manager of the Epson Intellectual Property Division, said.
Epson said it emphasises a proactive, forward-looking intellectual property strategy and considers its unique, advanced core technologies to be its most important asset.
Piezo printheads are a core device in the printing sector, and Epson says it own more patents related to these printheads than anyone else in the industry.
Epson’s inkjet multifunction printers are equipped with its heat-free printhead technology, which has several key advantages, including reduced CO2 emissions and less frequent replacement of consumables and limited lifetime parts.
Epson said its technology helps to solve societal issues like these and is protected by intellectual property right, which underpins the company’s sustainability efforts.
“The top priority of the company’s IP activities is, and will continue to be, finding ways to use Epson’s strengths to help solve societal issues,” Kobayashi said.
Clarivate compares and analyses invention data from around the world, assesses the quality of patent ideas using indicators directly linked to innovativeness and annually selects companies and organisations that are at the top of the global innovation ecosystem and continuously demonstrate outstanding innovation performance.
A twin track approach is used in evaluations. The first track focuses on identifying innovating companies and organisations based on the number of patent applications filed and patents held.
An ‘international factor’ is then calculated based on the rate and scale of international inventions. The second track scores them on four factors – influence, success, globalisation, and rarity – and a comparison against all other patent ideas is made.
