- Yahoo! JAPAN became the first IT company to receive the award in the category of "design-based management,"
an award given to excellent corporations that are making active use of the intellectual property rights system.
For the first time, Yahoo Japan Corporation (“Yahoo! JAPAN”) received the “Award form Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office” in the category of design-based management of the Intellectual Property Achievement Awards 2021*1, jointly awarded by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Japan Patent Office.
On April 18 every year, also known as the “Invention Day,” the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Japan Patent Office commend individuals who have contributed to the development, dissemination, and awareness-raising of Japan’s intellectual property rights system, as well as corporations that have made effective use of the intellectual property rights system and contributed to its smooth operation and development. The category of “design-based management” was newly added to the Awards in 2019, with a view to recognizing corporations that make excellent use of intellectual properties through the use of personnel and design management that have created world-class designs and contributed to practicing of an intellectual creation.
Yahoo! JAPAN aspires to enrich the society by making the world a more convenient place to live. In order to enable as many people as possible to experience and benefit from Yahoo! JAPAN’s IT-powered services, the company thinks it essential to make continuous improvements to its services, listening to users’ service use trends, as well as their opinions and requests.
With this in mind, Yahoo! JAPAN has been refining its user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) throughout the entire company, from the management to those at the forefront of production, so that users can use its services in an easy-to-understand and simple manner. The company has also been promoting its intellectual property initiatives, including the active use of its intellectual property portfolio, focusing on patents, designs, and trademarks. These activities have been highly recognized, and the company has been awarded in the “design-based management” category. Yahoo! JAPAN is the first IT company to receive the award in this category.
■Reasons for the Award
<1>
The management of Yahoo! JAPAN has understood the importance of design thinking since its inception, and has grown by practicing design-based management even before the concept of design-based management became widespread. In addition, the company, with its commitment to UI and UX since its foundation, has continuously provided new services and made improvements, and considered the number of users visiting the website as an achievement and indicator of design-based management.
<2>
Matters that are important from the perspective of brand design are decided by the management, and when a new service is released, the management itself “experiences” it as a user and is involved in improving the quality. Furthermore, design guidelines and style guides are adopted to ensure the design integrity, and important changes are always decided through the board of directors.
<3>
Focusing on ensuring a safe and healthy environment for users and partners, and contributing to the development of the information technology society, the company builds and utilizes an intellectual property portfolio centered on patents, designs, and trademarks. The company places emphasis on functions and designs that realize ease of use and convenience from the perspective of UI and UX, and provides multifaceted protection through patents, designs, and trademarks.
While promoting the use of intellectual property rights in its services, Yahoo! JAPAN will utilize the power of information technology to become an indispensable presence in every aspect of the users' lives.
*1 Japan Patent Office – Intellecual Proplerty Achievement Awards (external website) (Japanese only)