Sharp IP team to be new entity under Foxconn

iam media

Just over a month since display maker Sharp came under the formal control of Hon Hai Precision Industry (Foxconn), big changes to its IP operations are already in the offing. Nikkei Asian Review reported on Tuesday that the Japanese company’s IP function would be hived off into a separate IP management company on October 3rd, with one goal being to create more value from Sharp’s massive global patent portfolio. Speaking exclusively to IAM, Foxconn IP chief YP Jou confirmed how the responsibilities for the Sharp portfolio will be divided within the sprawling Foxconn IP apparatus, and revealed the team’s priority when it comes to monetization.

The new unit will be known as ScienBiziP Japan and based in Osaka, according to Nikkei. ScienBiziP is the same name used by Foxconn’s internal IP team when it formed its own independent entity in 2013. The Taipei-based ScienBiziP Consulting will own 20% of the new enterprise, with Sharp controlling 51% and the remainder split up among the executive team. The entire Sharp IP staff, numbering around 200 people, will make the move across, and the group will reportedly be led by a Sharp executive.