Correlation between standardization and innovation from the viewpoint of intellectual property activities: Electric machine industry and all organizations in Japan

This paper examines the statistical correlation between standardization and innovation in companies and research institutions in Japan. Knowledge of the number of persons who engage in standardization-related activities (PSRA) and the number of patent applications is required in order to investigate the statistical correlation. However, it has been difficult to count the number of PSRA in actual organizations directly. To circumvent the difficulty, this research pays attention to the number of persons who engage in intellectual property-related standardization activities (PIPRSA). The consideration of whether the number of patent applications in Japan shows a positive correlation with PIPRSA is presented and discussed. It was found in the case of the Japanese electric machine industry that there is a significant positive relationship between innovation and standardization.