Intellectual Property Rights

Intellectual Property Management Plan

In alignment with the mission of a green environmental engineering company and our focus on addressing the complex relationship between humans and nature, we are actively enhancing our technical capabilities in areas such as process carbon reduction, alternative auxiliary materials, renewable energy, and the co-processing of waste in cement kilns. We are gradually integrating resources across various departments and affiliated enterprises, strengthening intellectual property awareness among our personnel, and implementing the principles of a circular economy through the application, maintenance, and value-added utilization of relevant rights. This approach helps reinforce our leadership in the industry while safeguarding our valuable technological achievements.

Protection Management Measures

Trademark Management

While promoting new businesses, trademark issues are carefully considered. For the design, registration, and authorized use of trademarks, co-signing and consultation with professional units are required to protect the Group's brand rights and interests.

Patent Management

The responsible unit evaluates the development and adoption of new materials and technologies, and periodically collaborates with external consultants to analyze search results and discuss application strategies, while monitoring and engaging with relevant international technology trends.

Copyright Management

  • During employment, employees are required to comply with copyright laws, avoid using works that infringe on others' rights, and are periodically informed to establish correct copyright awareness.
  • All R&D and creative outcomes funded by TCC and completed by business
    partners include stipulated clauses on rights ownership and non-infringement
    guarantees in standard contracts and procurement orders.
Trade Secret Management

  • Commercial partners are required to sign non-disclosure
    agreements (NDAs) or agree to confidentiality
    clauses.
  • All employees must sign an Employee Confidentiality
    and IP Ownership Agreement upon onboarding.
  • Key IP employees must also sign a separate Employee
    Covenant Agreement (including non-compete
    and non-solicitation clauses) upon resignation

In recent years, TCC has been actively expanding internationally and accelerating its penetration into the Asian market.
To carefully plan layout strategies and overseas business development, important implementation items such as overseas intellectual property layout analysis, the establishment of intellectual property law compliance systems, and the integration of intellectual property management systems are regularly monitored through the Company's business reports to track progress and appropriately respond to potential operational risks.

Implementation Status

TCC reports intellectual property-related matters to the Board of Directors at least once a year, with the most recent report submitted on December 24, 2024. TCC's main implementation in recent years is as follows:

2019

  • Management of the application and maintenance of trademarks and patents.
  • Require suppliers to guarantee that their products or services do not infringe on others' intellectual property rights when providing products or services.

2020

  • Established an Information Security Management Committee and implemented the ISO 27001 Information Security Management System to strengthen information security management and trade secret protection.
  • Strengthening of employee awareness of compliance with intellectual property laws through the Code of Integrity and Ethical Standards.

2021

  • Obtained ISO 27001 Information Security Management System certification, with the current certificate valid from January 5, 2021 to January 4, 2024.
  • Conducted a comprehensive inventory of existing trademarks and patents, and will evaluate and plan consistent regulations for the application and use of trademarks and patents.
  • Deepening of educational training to continuously enhance employees' intellectual property protection concepts, in order to elevate the group's brand image and technical innovation capacity.
  • By signing information security declarations and confidentiality or trade secret confidentiality agreements with employees and external vendors, TCC ensures their compliance with its intellectual property policies.
  • Established sensitive data protection zones to properly store company intellectual property-related information and monitor the audit trails of personnel access, strengthening the Company's intellectual property data protection mechanisms.

2022

  • Promotion of real-name management for electronic official documents and optimize tracking mechanisms for printing and downloading of official document.
  • Controlling sensitive data involving core technologies, implemented encryption measures for reading and transmission, and required intranet login for access.
  • Technology R&D units are prohibited from transferring data to personal free email accounts and email accounts of competitors with conflicting interests.
  • Periodical collaboration with external consultants on emerging process technologies to discuss strategic patent planning for energy storage initiatives, supporting new business development and overseas expansion. Leverage the advantages of cement-based building materials to develop safe, stable, fire-resistant, and high-performance energy storage systems.

  • System internal composition

    Optimize fireproof panel, pressure resistance, and water cooling circulation designs to prevent battery thermal runaway issues

  • System structure itself

    Combine fire-resistant materials and high-strength concrete to maintain safety while ensuring lightweight, thin design that facilitates assembly, and rapidly prevent disasters through liquid immersion, pressure relief mechanisms, etc.

  • Multiple system connections

    Use AI combined with distributed energy methods between systems to effectively monitor thermal critical points.

    Continue to plan and apply for relevant patents in Taiwan, China, and throughout Europe.

  • Persist in promoting intellectual property ownership concepts to employees, while updating procurement processes and standardized purchase order terms to ensure the group effectively acquires intellectual property rights to commissioned development results as the investor.

2023

  • Create branding for energy storage and renewable energy power sales businesses and deploy trademarks in various regions.
  • Continue to promote online supplier surveys and documentation, allowing suppliers to submit confidentiality declarations online when bidding for sensitive projects, strengthening trade secret protection; in addition to confidentiality regulations, non-compete measures have also been established for employees with access to core technologies to enhance protection mechanisms.

  • Patent planning for energy storage business

    Technical Aspect

    With ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) combined with fire-resistant material layers as the core of the cabinet, expanding outward to various aspects including thermal runaway prevention methods, assembly structures, battery module design, and power management.

    Deployment Aspect

    Focusing on Taiwan applications as the foundation, patent filings are extended to major markets (including the United States, Europe, China, Japan, and South Korea) through priority claims and the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) framework, with Taiwan patents being granted successively.

  • The low-carbon formula for ultra-high performance concrete is protected as a trade secret, and its application in building materials (KT board and building structures including KT board) has already been filed for patent application in Taiwan.
  • At the intellectual property management level, in addition to implementing the ISO9001 management system for energy storage business, we have begun inventorying trade secrets, patentable technologies, and relevant management manuals for R&D-driven areas such as energy storage, batteries, and low-carbon materials. We have also engaged suitable external law firms. Looking ahead, we aim to establish a TIPS (Taiwan Intellectual Property Management System) to strengthen the protection of patents and trade secrets, thereby enhancing industrial competitiveness.

2024

  • Obtained TIPS (Taiwan Intellectual Property Management System) Certification.

  • Patent Deployment:

    Energy Storage Business

    Focus areas for patent applications include four technical aspects: Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) energy storage cabinet design, safety, Energy Management Systems (EMS), and battery module design.

    Cement Business

    Patent applications have been filed for technologies such as UHPC KT slabs and waste glass powder.

    Battery Business

    Patent applications for cylindrical lithium baery electrode body and cell winding technologies have been filed across multiple countries.

Achievements Obtained

Trademarks

Registered

816cases

In Application

48cases

Invention Patents

Approved

128cases

Under Review

88cases

Note 1: Data scope (as of November 26, 2024): TCC's Taiwan & Mainland China Cement businesses, and subsidiaries OYAK CEMENT, CIMPOR, and NHOA.

Note 2: Patent information is sourced from the GPSS Global Patent Search System. The statistical count of patents does not include 176 expired approved patents and 62 patents not continued for review.