LAS VEGAS – At AAPEX 2010 this week in Las Vegas, Odd Joergenrud, regional president, Automotive Aftermarket, North America, Robert Bosch LLC provided updates on how Bosch’s commitment to R&D drives innovation, and how Bosch protects its intellectual property including its vital patent rights.
Addressing the issue of a global economic recovery, Joergenrud said Bosch business figures are approaching levels last seen in 2007, the company’s previous peak year, more quickly than expected.
Joergenrud referenced comments made by Bernd Bohr, chairman of the Bosch Automotive Group, during a press conference last month at the IAA Commercial Vehicles in Hannover, Germany, who said that the company expects sales from the Bosch Automotive Group to increase by some 25 percent this year, to more than $36 billion.
Commenting on whether the economic downturn had any effect on Bosch’s levels of R & D investment or patent applications, which Bosch is well-known for, he added that in a recent panel discussion on prospects for the automotive industry, Franz Fehrenbach, chairman of the Bosch board of management said, “We need to stay one step ahead with our innovations. Our research needs to focus now on the next generations of today’s technologies.”
Even during the global economic downturn, Bosch maintained its commitment to research and development, Joergenrud said, which drives the company’s innovation. Worldwide in 2009, innovations from some 33,000 dedicated Bosch R&D associates resulted in more than 3,800 patent applications being filed – an average of 15 per working day. No other automotive supplier or vehicle manufacturer registers more patents than Bosch, according to Joergenrud.
Joergenrud also discussed the actions Bosch takes to protect its interests and R&D investments, including efforts to protect intellectual property rights infringements while on the show floor. While at AAPEX, Bosch initiated legal action against 10 companies, alleging infringement of the company’s wiper blade designs. Court papers were filed in the Las Vegas court system. In the past several years, Bosch filed patent infringement suits against three competitors in the wiper blade category. According to Joergenrud, those cases have recently resulted in favorable outcomes for Bosch.
