Study On Auto Companies' Patent Strategy Based On Dongfeng Motor Corporation

With the development of global economy, products and services have being exceeding boundaries and entering into the international market. Enterprises are confronting larger market as well as more complex competitive environment. After China entering into WTO, more and more foreign auto companies conquer Chinese auto market. Compared with the foreign auto companies, Chinese auto companies are relative weak. Thus, they are facing the much more intense competition. Patent system protects the inventors' rights effectively through legal and economic measures. Enterprises can not only strengthen itself but also restrain the growth of the rivals or even to get more market share, if it use the right properly provided by the patent system. Therefore, the research on the patent strategy of auto companies has the important implication. Based on the above topic, the thesis adopts the methods of case study and case comparison. It mainly studies patent application of four auto companies,especially in analyzing patent application and patent management of DongFeng Motor Corporation (DFM).The dissertation focuses on the following questions. Comparing the difference on patent application among four target companies, especially the patent application in auto engine filed. In addition, it very focuses on the analysis of patent management system of Toyota Motor Corporation and the correlation between its patent application and company strategy. The result shows that patent application of Toyota in China has close mutuality with the company activities such as investment, scrambling for market share etc.Based on the investigation of the status quo of patent management in DFM, it points out the problems existing in the patent strategy system of DFM, including the weakness of patent consciousness, low volume of patent application, little investment of R&D, poor innovation capability and lack of scientific, systematic, integral patent strategy planning. According to the above results, it proposes the suggestions to design and carry out the patent strategy for DFM. For example, DFM should perfect its patent management system and improve the employees' patent consciousness. It should invest more on R&D to improve its capability of innovating. Also the company should improve its work on the introduced technologies and put more emphases on digesting, absorbing and innovating of those. Last but not least DFM should define its patent strategy goal and formulate its strategic alternatives.