China: BYD Recognized by World Intellectual Property Organization for Industry Leading Innovation
BYD Company Ltd. has been awarded the 2013 WIPO – SIPO “Outstanding Patent Innovation and Industrial Design” medal. Presented by Francis Gurry, director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), these awards recognize BYD as China’s most innovative company.
These accomplishments did not just end with the Gold Medal Award for innovation, BYD’s patent for Electric Vehicle Batteries also received the China Patent Association’s Award of Excellence. These accolades are especially relevant as it differentiates BYD from many other Chinese innovators who are constantly associated with intellectual property violations.
Since its establishment in 1995, BYD has not only attached great importance to independent research and development, but also a great focus on intellectual property protection. As a “technology based, innovation oriented” company, BYD has world class research and development with its three institutes; The Central Research Institute, The Auto Engineering Institute and The Electric Power Research Institute. These programs engage in high-tech products and technology research and development, as well as industry and market research.
Currently, BYD has more than 15,000 engineers serving in R & D functions and other investment funds for research and development supported with billions of task specific dollars. According to the data provided by the State Intellectual Property Office, BYD ranked No.6 in patent generation among domestic enterprises in 2012. BYD has been issued more than 8,000 foreign and domestic patents to date with overall applications totaling over 12,000.
SBID (Super-energy Beam Induced Deposition), the patent which BYD was recognized for, is a revolutionary process for the manufacturing of special plastic products. This process will be widely utilized in mobile communications, automotive electronics, new energy, computer, electrical and mechanical equipment, medical equipment just to name a few. With this patent, BYD has successfully broken the technology patent monopoly owned by other companies, setting a new precedent in Chinese manufacturing. Specifically in the mobile phone sector, this process contributes to product development for clients such as Motorola, Samsung, Nokia, Huawei among many others. Presently, China is highly focused on the development of world class intellectual property standards. Being the world leader in manufacturing, and one of the quickest developing hubs for product innovation, these developments are critical for the future of Chinese business. Francis Gurry, Director General of World Intellectual Property Organization commended China for the steps they are taking to promote and enforce intellectual property standards. Being recognized like this positions BYD in China as a clear industry leader.