Received the ``Intellectual Property Achievement Award / Commissioner of the Patent Office's Award'' in 2020

PRODRONE Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, President and CEO: Masakazu Kono, hereinafter referred to as PRODRONE) received the ``Japan Patent Office Commissioner's Award (Intellectual Property Utilization Venture)'' as an excellent company that utilizes the intellectual property rights system at the 2020 ``Intellectual Property Achievement Award'' held by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Japan Patent Office. The award recognizes individuals who have contributed to the development, dissemination, and enlightenment of the intellectual property system, and awards the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Director of the Japan Patent Office the Award for Outstanding Companies Utilizing the Intellectual Property System to companies that have effectively utilized the system and contributed to its smooth operation and development. Both awards are collectively known as the "Intellectual Property Achievement Award." In response to this award, Masakazu Kono, President and Representative Director of PRODRONE, said:

``I am truly honored to receive the IP Office Commissioner's Award for Intellectual Property Achievement. In order for a hardware venture like ours to compete on an equal footing with rivals around the world, acquiring intellectual property, including basic patents, is essential. Since 2015, the first year of our company's establishment and the first year of industrial drones, we are proud to be the company that has been most proactive in intellectual property activities in the domestic drone industry. Encouraged by receiving this award, we will continue to create further intellectual property and utilize intellectual property to create globally competitive products and services, with the aim of ``becoming a company that is absolutely indispensable to society,'' which is stated in the first part of our management philosophy. ”

■Patent strategy in PRODRONE・PRODRONE has positioned patents as a useful means of management strategy and has been actively engaged in intellectual property activities since its establishment. In the rapidly changing field of industrial drones, a textbook three-pronged intellectual property strategy is no longer applicable, and a flexible arrangement is required to suit the situation. Therefore, at PRODRONE, the chain of command for intellectual property activities is placed under the direct control of the president, and we have established a system that is agile and flexible, yet allows our patent portfolio to be constructed in an appropriate manner. ・Prior to expanding business overseas, we have acquired patent and trademark rights in overseas countries such as the United States, China, and Australia in order to prevent free riding by other companies and damage to our brand value. Furthermore, the cost of filing overseas applications is a huge burden for small and medium-sized enterprises. Therefore, in order to achieve maximum results with minimum costs, PRODRONE has developed a unique patent application process that makes full use of subsidies, subsidies, mitigation measures, etc., and reduces the number of intermediate procedures in foreign countries. ・Since the development work entrusted to PRODRONE by client companies is often of a high degree of technical difficulty, in principle, inventions created during development are submitted to our company as independent applications. By securing the rights through a single application, PRODRONE is able to continue receiving entrustments for subsequent improvements. For details, please see the Japan Patent Office details page. https://www.jpo.go.jp/news/koho/tizai_koro/2020_tizai_kourou.html

The world's first drone with two robot arms "PD6B-AW-ARM"

Self-propelled attached drone “PD6-CI-L” capable of inspecting both ceilings and vertical walls

“PD4-AW-AQ” water landing drone for underwater photography that is capable of automatic take-off and landing

Interactive rescue passenger drone “SUKUU”

Masakazu Kono, President and CEO of Prodrone Co., Ltd.