HP Files 5,000 Patent Applications Worldwide in 2001; Total Doubles in Two Years Under ''Invent'' Campaign

Business Wire, Feb 6, 2002

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 6, 2002

Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HWP) today announced that it filed 5,000 patent applications worldwide in its fiscal year 2001 -- an average of 20 inventions each business day. In the two years since the company launched its "Invent" campaign, the number of patent filings has more than doubled thanks to a shift in HP's intellectual property (IP) strategy.

"Our decision to pursue a more aggressive IP policy is beginning to pay off," said Steve Fox, director of intellectual property and associate general counsel, HP. "In 2000, we applied for 3,000 patents worldwide, a 30 percent increase over 1999. Last year, we applied for nearly 5,000 patents worldwide, a 67 percent increase over the previous year. At our current pace, we expect to break into the top 10 list of U.S. patentees by next year."

HP received nearly 1,000 patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2001. It normally takes two to three years to be granted a patent after filing an application. HP's patent total in the U.S. is expected to continue to climb in the coming years as a result of recent filings.

HP's "Invent" campaign began in December 1999. To improve innovation across the company, HP increased its emphasis on the importance of patents and boosted financial incentives both for invention disclosures, the first step toward getting a patent, and for application filings.

HP also refined its systematic approach for aligning IP protection and HP business strategy with a set of procedures that requires ongoing communication between HP's engineers and strategists.

One technique used was instituting "InventShops" and innovation workshops. InventShops are brief, inspirational, freewheeling meetings to which large groups of inventors are invited and encouraged to disclose their ideas on the spot. Innovation workshops are more focused and structured two-day events, planned months in advance and designed to address a specific business area. Both inventors and marketing experts take part.

"As a result of these activities, invention submissions have quadrupled over the past two years," said Fox. "We recorded more than 10,000 invention disclosures last year. These disclosures are first reviewed by HP's Patent Coordination Committees, which gauge their strategic value, before formally submitting the invention for patent protection."

About HP

Hewlett-Packard Company -- a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services -- is focused on making technology and its benefits accessible to all. HP had total revenue of $45.2 billion in its 2001 fiscal year. Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.