利用專利組合分析台灣液晶電視產業經營―以家電公司及IT公司的OEM/ODM廠為例

Abstract

液晶電視是目前消費性電子產品中最具潛力，亦是競爭最激烈的明星產業之一。在PC產業及CRT電視機市場成長趨緩的情勢下，台灣眾多的資訊及家電大廠不得不投資具有高度成長潛力的液晶電視。由於經營電視機品牌的投資風險高，因此大多數的台灣廠商選擇OEM/ODM的經營模式。即使是專注於代工生產，專利仍絕對是企業擁有競爭力的必要條件。雖然現今許多的高科技公司已經只能夠賺取微薄利潤，但是廠商仍然無法避免被國際大廠持續的被索取權利金。為了能夠爭取生存空間，利用專利佈局來保持競爭力是一項關鍵的課題。 目前液晶電視產業適逢高成長、高技術門檻但是低利潤的成熟階段，若是廠商可以運用專利組合來建構核心競爭力，將來是很有機會在產業中取得領導地位，並阻擋跟隨者的競爭來獲取更多利潤。本研究的研究方法是初步檢索USPTO與經濟部智慧財產局的專利資料，投入資料於本研究所引用的專利指標，然後利用所得到的專利指標結果來進行專利佈局與產業經營分析。實證研究部份根據台灣15家液晶電視OEM/ODM廠商的USPTO與經濟部智慧財產局的專利資料做相關技術分類，並採用專利件數指標、專利被引證數與產品設計分析找出廠商的技術能力強弱。本研究目的在試圖找到OEM/ODM廠所重視的專利組合項目，做為廠商佈局自身的核心競爭力及未來產業經營方向的參考。 研究結果顯示，在專利件數指標方面，大同與瑞軒在USPTO與智財局的專利數量是遙遙領先，而其餘廠商的專利數量過少將會是提昇競爭力的隱憂。在專利被引證數指標方面，則是只有瑞軒表現很好，顯現出其餘廠商的專利對同業的威脅性不足。在產品設計領域方面，除了大同有較多新功能產品設計外，幾乎所有廠商是以申請機構與外觀相關領域專利為主，因此推論OEM/ODM廠相當重視工業設計，也是公司主要的價值所在，但長期而言缺乏創新能力將會是競爭劣勢。在生產製程領域方面，相較於創新功能與工業設計則是表現不佳，必須積極佈局更多專利來防範專業電子代工廠(EMS)的積極競爭。

TFT-LCD TV is one of the most competitive but with the most potential industrial of the consumer products. Because of the low growth rate of PC industrial and CRT TV industrial, a lot of Taiwan's Information Technology companies and Home Appliance suppliers have no choice but to invest TFT-LCD TV. Owing to the high risks of operating the business of TV set with own brand, most of Taiwan manufacturers prefer the business model of OEM/ODM. Even simply focus on the business of manufacturing, it's essential for a company to own the patents in hand. Many of High-Tech companies nowadays simply can get the low profit, however it's inevitable to be charged the royalties by the multi-national corporations. It's a critical topic to enable IP Portfolio to keep the competence in the market. LCD TV industrial is moving forward to the mature stage of high growth, high entry barrier but with low profit, if these suppliers are able to make use of IP portfolio to establish its own core competence, they stand a good change to get the leading position in the coming future, then get more profit by preventing the competition from the followers. This thesis is based on the patent data retrieved from USPTO and TIPO, inputs the data into the patent indicators referred by this thesis, then process the analysis of IP portfolio and TFT-LCD TV industrials according to these indicators. This thesis is classified according to the patent data of USPTO and TIPO of fifteen Taiwan TFT-LCD TV OEM/ODM companies, and analyze the indicator of Number of Patent, Cites per Patent, Product Design to find out the strength and weakness of the suppliers. This thesis targets to clear which of the combination of IP portfolio is most concerned by OEM/ODM companies. The aspect of Number of Patent, the result shows that Tatung and Amtran are leading the numbers of patent of USPTO and TIPO, the rest of companies are weak to have enough competence when they just have a few patents in hand. The aspect of Cites per Patent, only Amtran performed much better than the others. It reflects that the rest of companies aren't able to thereat the similar companies in the same industrial. The aspect of Product Design, except Tatung can supply the products with more fantastic functions,almost all of the suppliers focus on applying for the patent of housing and outlooking, therefore this thesis supposes OEM/ODM companies paid much attention to the Industrial design, and are also the value of company, but lacking for the ability of innovation will be the disadvantage in the long run. The aspect of Production Process, it performs not good enough comparing to the innovated functions and industrial design, it's quite necessary to dispose more related patents to prevent the competence from EMS aggressively.