Basic Policy on Intellectual Property Management

The proper protection and use of copyrights, trademarks and other intellectual property rights have a major effect on business competitiveness, while illegal acts such as the infringement of intellectual property rights pose a major risk to corporate management. In order to sustain and improve its business competitiveness, the Sumitomo Forestry Group strives for the proper management of intellectual property rights, including protecting its own intellectual property based on the unique characteristics of each business, as well as properly handling the intellectual property of third parties as needed.

Intellectual Property Management Structure

Sumitomo Forestry established the Intellectual Property Department under the Legal Department to take on the management of intellectual property, employing a number of patent lawyers as department staff. The Intellectual Property Department provides various support for the company to improve its business performance, including educating employees on intellectual property, providing consultation on the infringement of intellectual property rights, and supporting the conclusion of agreements on intellectual property and the filing of patent applications for the intellectual property developed by the research and business departments and the protection of the obtained intellectual property rights.

Intellectual Property Education

The Sumitomo Forestry Group provides employees with intellectual property training under a systematic program developed by organizing the content for targeted departments, with a view to helping them obtain correct knowledge about intellectual property and acquire the basic behavioral skills to deal with intellectual property appropriately from the perspectives of compliance and risk management. In fiscal 2025, we conducted four intellectual property training sessions for persons in charge of research & development, sales planning, and advertising and catalogue production as well as managers, at our research and business departments, and at our affiliates. These sessions were held with a focus on compliance to prevent the violation of the intellectual property rights of others.

We have also established an environment in which all Sumitomo Forestry Group employees can attend an intellectual property-related course that places emphasis on the aspects of compliance at all times through our e-learning website. This is a mandatory course that must be taken by each Sumitomo Forestry Group employee every year.