Policy on Intellectual Property Strategies
of the Money Forward Group

For continuity and development of the business of the entire Group, the Group defines intellectual property as property, not limited to intellectual property rights, such as patent rights, trademark rights, design rights, copyrights, but property, including technologies, data, know-how, brands, contents. The Group promotes intellectual property strategy through concerted efforts by the Business Division, Research, Development and Design Division and Intellectual Property Strategy Division. Our aim is to realize our Mission and Vision.
The Group uses a design approach to visualize potential user problems and solve them by strategically and organically combining the intellectual property created by the Group. The Group is committed to the effective protection and utilization of intellectual property, and to improving the Group’s intellectual property activities.
Through such intellectual property related initiatives, the Group will exercise our creativity and strive to provide new values to the stakeholders and resolve social issues.

• ・Why Money Forward integrates design into management(Japanese)

System for Intellectual Property Strategies

The Group holds an Intellectual Property Strategy Meeting every other month. The Meeting consists of the CEO, Group Executive Officer and CTO, Group Executive Officer and CDO(Chief Design officer), Director of Money Forward Lab, the Group Executive Officer in charge of intellectual property, and the General Manager of the Intellectual Property Strategy Division of Money Forward. The meeting establishes and shares policies and status updates regarding intellectual property strategies. In addition, the policy details and status determined and shared at meetings are reported at Board of Directors meetings.
The Intellectual Property Strategy Division uses an internal chat tool and other means to discuss and resolve issues with the management team, business units, and Group companies as needed and implements next action plans based on feedback. Our priority is business continuity in intellectual property activities.

Promotion of Intellectual Property Strategies That Contribute to Business Growth

Through collaboration among the Business Division, the Research, Development and Design Division and the Intellectual Property Strategy Division, the Group creates intellectual property, discovers and acquires intellectual property rights from the stage of examining new services in an effort to ensure its competitive edge, secure its advantages in technologies and designs and increase brand value with intellectual property (not only property that has been acquired as rights, but also technologies, data, know-how, brands, services, etc.).

• ・What does the Intellectual Property Strategy Division of an IT start-up that experienced a patent lawsuit do?(Japanese)
• ・User Forward: Move Users’ Lives Forward

Intellectual Property Portfolio

The intellectual property created in the course of our business activities around our core technologies such as “data aggregation” and “user interface” contributes directly and indirectly to the growth of our Group’s business and sales. We also protect the intellectual property created in this way as rights and as building our portfolio.

The following intellectual property rights (patents and designs) are examples of our intellectual property created as a part of our core technologies.

In creating and acquiring rights for intellectual property that supports the Group’s business strategies, we demonstrate the Group’s technological and design advantages in business negotiations.

Inventor and Creator Recognition System “Invention Awards”

Every six months, the Group recognizes the efforts of members who obtained patents or design rights, members who created or discovered inventions or creations, and members who contributed to the improvement of IP literacy at the Group Asakai Weekly Meeting.
By providing an opportunity for the award winners to present their efforts and honor their contributions in the meeting where all members of our group gather, we foster an organizational culture in which everyone is naturally involved in creating and using intellectual property, leading to the development of even more intellectual property.
The award ceremony is managed by the Intellectual Property Strategy Division and the Design Strategy Office, and original trophies and badges are made by the Group’s designers and presented to all award winners.

• ・The background of the “Invention Awards,” newly established by the Intellectual Property Strategy Division(Japanese)

Developing Human Resources to Create Intellectual Property

To promote intellectual property strategies, based on our belief that “people” are our most important asset as they are the ones who create intellectual property, the Group holds study sessions and workshops according to job categories and subjects, and educates each and every officer and employee to improve their knowledge of intellectual property and their efforts to make use of it.

• ・Talent Forward: Moving Employee Potential Forward

Onboarding and Training for New Joiners

On the first day of employment, the Group provides intellectual property training to all mid-career hires. The training covers our policy on intellectual property strategy and IP-related initiatives, etc., including a brief quiz.

Onboarding and Training for New Graduates

In addition to explaining our policy on intellectual property strategy, the Group provides training for new graduates to help them gain a basic understanding of intellectual property. We also hold an invention workshop to enable each member of the Group to identify problems and explore solutions while respecting intellectual property.

• ・Nurture the Next Generation of Inventors! Our “Intellectual Property Workshop and Training Program”(Japanese)

Onboarding and Training for Mid-career Hires

We develop products by having product managers and designers work side by side to identify problems and explore solutions through a design approach. In an effort to improve literacy around intellectual property of our product designers, by using a design tool as a training subject, our designers and the Intellectual Property Strategy Division work together to hold workshops so that they can learn about UI designs and patents.
In addition, as part of efforts to enhance the Group’s brand awareness, we hold study sessions for our content creators and PR representatives so that they can learn about trademarks, copyrights, labeling regulations, etc.

Intellectual Property Education That Leads to Inventions and Creations

The Group provides various orientations and learning sessions for new graduates and existing employees.
In addition to providing training for new graduates to help them gain a basic understanding of intellectual property, we hold invention workshops to enable each member of the Group to identify problems and explore solutions while respecting intellectual property.
We develop products by having product managers and designers work side by side to identify problems and explore solutions through a design approach. In an effort to improve literacy around intellectual property, designers and the Intellectual Property Strategy Division hold workshops for product designers to learn about UI designs and patents.
In this way, we actively help each member improve their literacy and effective use of intellectual property by providing learning sessions and workshops that address specific tasks or issues.

• ・Nurture the Next Generation of Inventors! Our “Intellectual Property Workshop and Training Program”(Japanese)

Promotion of Brands and Designs

Brands and Trademarks

The Group views brands as assets and has formulated brand guidelines. We undertake activities to grow the brands of the Money Forward Group by aligning them with corporate culture, standpoint on sustainability, product taglines, naming, logos, etc., and promote consistent branding as an organization.
As a result of these initiatives based on our policy on intellectual property strategy, in 2022, we received a “Rising Stars” award at the Japan Branding Awards 2022, hosted by Interbrand Japan which is one of the leading brand consultancy companies in Japan. This award recognizes brands that have achieved significant growth through branding and are committed to outstanding creative initiatives.
In the 2023 Intellectual Property Achievement Awards sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Japan Patent Office, we won the JPO Commissioner’s Award (for Design-driven Management Company). The award is presented to such a company that effectively utilizes intellectual property by creating world-class superior designs, adopting design-driven management, and incorporating human resources who contribute to the practice of the intellectual creation cycle.

• ・Japan Branding Awards 2022(Japanese)
• ・About the 2023 Intellectual Property Merit Awards(Japanese)
• ・Our views on the potential of design-driven management human resources(Japanese)

In order to establish corporate brands and product brands of the Group, the Group strives to earn the trust of all stakeholders through securing trademark rights, providing press kits(Japanese) and other means.
The following trademarks represent our brand.

Trademark	Related Domains
Money Forward	All domains
	All domains
	All domains
	Business
	Home
Mikatano	X
	Finance

Designs

In creating product designs, the Group pursues ease of use that is developed from user research in various industries, issue identification by workflow analysis and user testing as well as flexible system designs that are ready for use at scenes of various users.

• ・Business Card 『Money Forward Pay for Business』
  “Money Forward Pay for Business”, Money Forward Inc.’s SaaS-based fintech solution won the “Good Design Award 2022” for its UI and UX design, which provides users with a complete cashless flow from application to issuance.
• ・SaaS Management Platform『Money Forward Admina』
  “Money Forward IT Management Cloud”(*), Money Forward i’s SaaS-based management platform won the “Good Design Award 2022” for its ease of integration, costs and usage visualization, and user interface.
  * “Money Forward IT Management Cloud” has changed its service name to “Money Forward Admina” as of February 22, 2023.

Respect for the Intellectual Property Rights of Third Parties

The Group respects intellectual property rights of third parties and avoids the risk of infringement.
To be specific, the Group performs preliminary investigations in accordance with the Money Forward Group Compliance Manual when providing new services or researching and developing new technologies in an effort to prevent infringement of intellectual property rights of third parties.
In addition, the Group has established rules for use of trademark rights and copyrights of third parties and thoroughly conducts prior confirmation, consultation and preliminary investigations based on a checklist prepared by the Intellectual Property Strategy Division in an effort to prevent infringement of intellectual property rights of third parties.
The Group regularly provides onboarding training, intellectual property training for new graduates, and study sessions for each division. Furthermore, the Group also holds compliance training on intellectual property once a year.

• ・Basic Policy on Compliance