- Top
- Management Message
- Sustainability Management
- Our Materiality (priority issues)
- Contributing to the multi-dimensional values of sports
- Contributing to the resolution of social issue
- Responsible procurement with due respect for human rights
- Human Capital Management
- Responsibility for global environmental issues throughout the product lifecycle
- Responsible business practices
- Responsibility for Safe and High-Quality Products
- Our Key Initiatives
- Value Creation through Sports
- Policies and Governance Structure
- Physical and mental health through sports
- Embodying Mizuno's Unique Identity and Integrated Strength
- Promotion of Sports and Education
- Contributing to sustainability through the application of Mizuno's technologies
- Climate Change Strategy
- Human Capital Strategy
- SDGs Initiatives
- Our Specific Actions (Environment, Social, Governance)
- Environment
- Policies and Governance Structure
- Environmental Management System
- Mitigation of Environmental Impact in Products
- Climate Change
- Water Use and Management
- Reduction of hazardous chemical substances
- Reduction of waste
- Business activities and environmental burden
- Social
- Respect for Human Rights (Policies and Governance Structure)
- Supply Chain Management
- Mizuno CSR Procurement Code of Conduct
- Product Safety and Quality (Policies and Governance Structure)
- Ensuring of the safety and quality of products
- Communication related to products
- Engagement with Customers
- Labor Practices
- Talent Development and Capability Building
- Promoting and respecting diversity
- Health Promotion Initiatives
- Occupational Safety and Health
- Governance
- Corporate Governance
- Compliance / Anti-corruption
- Protection of intellectual property
- Protection of personal information
- ESG Data
- Regarding the Report
Protection of intellectual property
Basic Concepts
Section “6. Intellectual property” of the Mizuno Corporation Ethical Standards stipulates that “1) Implementing thorough measures for protecting intellectual property created by the company” and “2) Respecting all third party intellectual property and not infringing on the intellectual property rights of others.” For our own intellectual property, we actively acquire and use intellectual property rights, including patents, utility models, designs, and trademarks, in Japan and overseas. We also strive to detect counterfeit products to ensure our brand value and user safety. For the intellectual property of others, we have established guidelines and various screening systems to prevent infringement on their intellectual property rights.
Protection of our own intellectual property
Encouragement of intellectual property acquisition
Mizuno, through its technological and design developments,strives to secure the technical superiority of its products by protecting the results with patents and designs. We also endeavor to strengthen our product brand by protecting the naming of goods and services with trademarks. To ensure such protection of intellectual property, we provide intellectual property education to employees involved in intellectual property, heightening their awareness towards the acquisition of rights.
Furthermore, we operate an invention incentive system, granting appropriate rewards to employees who have created patents, utility models, and designs. This promotes the active acquisition of patents and other rights, cultivating an environment where original product development continues. For fiscal year 2024, the implementation award recognized 9 patents, and the registration award was presented to 30 patents and 7 designs.
Detection of Counterfeit Products
The sale of inferior counterfeit Mizuno products not only leads to the loss of the companyʼs social credibility but also significantly impacts user safety, potentially causing accidents.
We have requested a crackdown on counterfeit products at customs, and in the countries where such products are sold, we collect information in cooperation with our subsidiaries at each overseas base and conduct investigations and crackdowns as needed. Recently, in response to changes in commercial transactions, including an increase in internet sales, we have continued to monitor the sales status of counterfeit products on major global e-commerce and social networking sites and take measures, including requiring the suspension of listings of counterfeit products.
In fiscal year 2024, we requested the removal of 1,868 counterfeit listings, resulting in nearly 100% of these listings being taken down.
Respect for the intellectual property of others
System for respecting the intellectual property of others
We conduct business activities that utilize a variety of intellectual properties, including brands, designs, patents, and portraits of famous athletes. In order not to use the intellectual property of others without permission at any stage, from development to sales, we established the Guidelines on Intellectual Properties Managed by Mizuno (Intellectual Property Guidelines) in August 2008 and posted the Mizuno Design Order Guidelines on our website in 2016. Through this, we ensure that the importance of intellectual property rights is understood by employees. We also ask our business partners to understand their importance and comply with intellectual property rights rules.
For advertising materials as well as products, we have established a system for conducting a preliminary check on compliance with various rights, including portrait rights and trademark rights, and with the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Presentations and other laws and regulations so that we will not commit any violations. We have established and operate a system in which all advertising materials, including magazine advertisements, web advertisements, and storefront posters, should be approved on the database by the evaluation and judgment division before being released to the public.
As we venture into new product fields, we exercise increased caution regarding others' technical rights. We conduct checks during the design review stage of planning and development to avoid any infringements. In fiscal year 2024, there were no instances of violation regarding marketing communication regulations or voluntary standards.
Future Challenges
- We will continue to raise awareness and promote shared values regarding intellectual property by helping all employees better understand the connection between our intellectual property and business activities. We believe this will lead to more effective protection of our intellectual property assets.
- We will expand the scope of monitoring counterfeit product sales on e-commerce platforms, particularly in Southeast Asian countries where our brand exposure is increasing strategically. Based on our findings, we will take appropriate actions such as requesting shipment suspensions.