Intellectual Property

Patents

Numbers Held

DOCOMO has been promoting research and development of network advancement technologies such as W-CDMA, LTE, LTE-Advanced, 5G, 6G, and O-RAN, as well as new service-related technologies such as AI, XR, and IoT, in order to realize a more advanced and pleasant mobile communication environment, and has promoted patent applications.As a result, DOCOMO is having some 4,400 patents in Japan and some 10,100 patents overseas as of March 2023.

Number of Patent Applications

In FY2022, we continued to file applications for 5G, and also vigorously filed applications for 6G and O-RAN.

Graph showing changes in the number of patent appliedGraph showing changes in the number of patent applied

Application Fields

Consumer Telecommunication Businesses (5G, 6G, O-RAN, etc.)

5G aims to achieve a high capacity network which is able to support increase in traffic with low cost and reduced power consumption.
DOCOMO is conducting research and development to enable a wide range of capabilities such as super high data rate communications of over 10 Gbps, lower latency, and simultaneous connection of a large number of terminals in order to support the future spread of IoT and IoE, and continuing relevant intellectual property activities.

We are also continuing to file patent applications for 6G, which aims for further enhancement of 5G features such as ultra-high speed/high capacity, ultra-low latency, and ultra-multiple simultaneous connections, as well as for O-RAN, which will make wireless access networks more scalable and open.

Data of 5G standard-essential patents owned by DOCOMO

DOCOMO participates in the standardization of wireless technologies, such as 5G and LTE, as well as various related technologies, and has also submitted many technical proposals that have been incorporated into standards.
DOCOMO came to be ranked fifth in the world and first among carriers in terms of shares of 5G standard-essential patents*1 owned, according to a survey conducted in FY 2023.

  1. Standard-essential patent: A patent which is unavoidably infringed when manufacturing a standard-compliant product without a license from the patent owner.
Graph showing Data of 5G standard-essential patents owned by DOCOMOGraph showing Data of 5G standard-essential patents owned by DOCOMO

Source:
"New Movements in 5G-SEP, 5G Implementing Essential Patents and 5G Standardization Contributions"
by Cyber Creative Institute Co., Ltd.

Smart Life and Enterprise Business (AI, XR, Web3, Mobile Spatial Statistics, etc.)

We have filed patent applications in areas related to service solutions using AI, XR, IoT, and big data. For FY2022, we are strengthening our intellectual property activities by increasing the number of patent applications related to recommender systems, demand forecasting, and XR infrastructure.
The NTT Group, including DOCOMO, came to be ranked first in Japan in terms of the number of patent applications pertaining AI-related inventions submitted, according to a survey conducted in FY 2021.

The number of applications for AI-related inventions (by corporate group)The number of applications for AI-related inventions (by corporate group)

Source:New window"Based on data in "Recent Trends in AI-related Inventions" published by the Japan Patent Office

Example of patent pending technologies about XR

Licenses

Individual Licenses

DOCOMO licenses its standard-essential patents on FRAND (Fair, Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory) terms.
DOCOMO has owned patents/patent applications worldwide in the field of 3GPP and other standard-essential patents and continues to license them through both bilateral negotiations and patent pools.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

DOCOMO has granted a patent license covering DOCOMO's standard essential patents including 5G to Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Lenovo

DOCOMO has granted a patent license to Lenovo. The agreement covers DOCOMO's cellular wireless standard-essential patents including 5G.

Xiaomi Inc.

DOCOMO has renewed the patent license to Xiaomi Inc. The agreement covers DOCOMO's 5G standard-essential patents.
DOCOMO has granted a patent license to Xiaomi Inc. The agreement covers DOCOMO's cellular wireless standard-essential patents.

VIVO MOBILE COMMUNICATION CO., LTD.

NTT DOCOMO announced that it has granted a patent license to vivo. The agreement covers DOCOMO's W-CDMA, LTE and LTE-Advanced Standard Essential Patents.

Guangdong OPPO Mobile Telecommunications Co., Ltd.

NTT DOCOMO announced that it has granted a patent license to OPPO. The agreement covers DOCOMO's W-CDMA, LTE and LTE-Advanced Standard Essential Patents.

KYOCERA Corporation

DOCOMO has granted a patent license to KYOCERA Corporation. The agreement covers DOCOMO's W-CDMA, LTE, LTE-Advanced and 5G standard-essential patents.

Sharp Corporation

DOCOMO has signed a new patent license agreement with Sharp Corporation. This agreement covers DOCOMO's essential patents for the 5G standard.

Microsoft Corporation

DOCOMO has granted a patent license to Microsoft Corporation. The agreement covers DOCOMO's W-CDMA, LTE and LTE-Advanced standard-essential patents.

HTC Corporation

DOCOMO has granted a patent license to HTC Corporation. The agreement covers DOCOMO's W-CDMA, LTE and LTE-Advanced standard-essential patents.

Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

DOCOMO has granted a patent license to Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. The agreement covers DOCOMO's standard-essential patents for wireless communication technologies.

LG Electronics Inc.

DOCOMO has granted a terminal patent license to LG Electronics Inc. The agreement covers DOCOMO's W-CDMA, LTE and LTE-Advanced standard-essential patents.

Patent Pools

The following essential patents are also available for licensing through patent pools.*2To request a license from patent pools, please contact each license management company.

  1. Patent Pool: A mechanism whereby a plurality of patent holders collectively license standard-essential patents.
Patent Pools through which DOCOMO Licenses standard-essential patents
Patent Pool Licensing Administrator
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New windowSisvel (Cellular IoT) Sisvel

Contact for Licensing

To request a license for DOCOMO's intellectual properties, including essential patents and emojis, contact us at the following address.

Strategic Licensing Group
Intellectual Property Department
NTT DOCOMO
Sanno Park Tower, 41th Floor, 11-1 Nagata-cho 2-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-6150

patent hyphen license at nttdocomo dot com

Trademarks

Numbers Held

DOCOMO has been applying for and maintaining trademarks in order to protect its product brands and service brands. DOCOMO has approximately 1,600 trademarks in Japan and 1,000 trademarks overseas as of March 2023.

d POINT CLUB logo, d-Barai logo, ahamo logo

Use of DOCOMO Logo

The DOCOMO corporate logo may not be used without DOCOMO's permission. However, it may be used to introduce or refer to the products or services of DOCOMO, or to indicate your relationship with DOCOMO. Please refer to the terms and conditions for use of the logo below.

PDFUse of DOCOMO Logo(PDF format:423KB)

NTT DOCOMO logo

Awards Received

NTT named an Asia IP Elite organization in 2023

THE ASIA IP ELITE

In June 2023, NTT was selected as an "Asia IP Elite 2023" by Intellectual Asset Management (IAM, headquartered in London, UK), an internationally renowned IP media company. The award recognizes companies and organizations that have placed intellectual property at the center of their business strategy to introduce representative initiatives in IP creation in the Asia-Pacific region. A total of 88 companies and organizations were selected this year (23 companies are from Japan).

In addition to the fact that NTT's holding companies are promoting patent applications for many optical-related technologies, NTT's licensing activities for 5G essential patents, which DOCOMO is promoting, were evaluated as important factors for NTT's selection. DOCOMO was selected as an Asia IP Elite for 2022 as well.
DOCOMO will continue to cultivate its technical capabilities in R&D, engage in research and development, and promote IP activities that contribute to its business to open up the way for the future of mobile communications as we envision it.

award plaque

award plaque

Reference: The award ceremony for the Asia IP Elite in 2022 (DOCOMO was selected)

Reference: The award ceremony for the Asia IP Elite in 2022 (DOCOMO was selected)

Awarded the National Commendation for Invention*3

DOCOMO received the Prime Minister's Award for inventing the "Synchronization Signal Block Configuration Method for Efficient Communication Startup in 5G" (hereinafter referred to as "the Technology") at the 2023 National Commendation for Invention, and Motoyuki Ii, President and Representative Director of DOCOMO, received the Invention Achievement Award on behalf of DOCOMO for the development and achievements in the field of the Technology.
The Technology is a fundamental technology related to the 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), and is used in all 5G-compatible devices around the world. The Technology has enabled 5G communication services around the world, and contributed to the development of the communication infrastructure that supports the spread of smartphones and tablets. In addition, as 5G is expected to be used in all industries in the future, the Technology will be used as a foundation to support industries worldwide.
DOCOMO has received awards at the National Commendation for Invention for its 1st generation (analog) through 4th generation (LTE) mobile communication systems in a row, making this the 5th consecutive generation to receive the award. DOCOMO will continue to promote the R&D and standardization of mobile communication technologies, such as 5G Evolution and 6G, and contribute to the creation of new fundamental technologies to realize the next-generation communication infrastructure that will support future industry and society.

DOCOMO received 2023 National Commendation for Invention

DOCOMO received 2023 National Commendation for Invention

Scene for the National Commendation for Invention 2023

Scene for the National Commendation for Invention 2023

<List of National Commendation for Invention awards received by DOCOMO>

Generation Award Year Invention Name Award Results
1G
(analog)
1995 Multi-Station Sequential Transmission Technology for Automobile and Mobile Phone Systems*4
Patent No. 1506414
Invention Prize
2G
(PDC)
1998 Mobile Radio Communications System
Patent No. 2106363
Imperial Invention Prize
3G
(W-CDMA)
2010 Cell Search Time Reduction Technology for W-CDMA
Patent No. 3214860
Prime Minister's Prize
4G
(LTE)
2015 High-Speed Cell Search Technology for LTE
Patent No. 4440831
Japan Patent Office Commissioner's Prize
5G
(NR)
2023 Invention of synchronization signal block construction method for efficient communication initiation in 5G
Patent No. 7039571
Prime Minister's Prize
  1. A contest for Japan's best inventions sponsored by the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation
  2. Joint patent with NTT

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