Japanese patenting in the United States appears to focus on technologies and products related to several commercially important industries. The 1991 patent data show Japanese inventors emphasizing those technology classes associated with the motor vehicle, photography, and photocopying industries. (See text table 6-1 and appendix table 6-14.) But also increasingly evident is the wider range of U.S. patents awarded to Japanese inventors in information technology. From improved information storage technology for computers to improved optic systems, Japanese inventions are earning U.S. patents in areas that will facilitate the expansion, storage, and transmission of information.
German inventors continue to develop new products and processes in technology areas associated with the heavy manufacturing industries in which Germany has traditionally maintained a large presence. The 1991 U.S. patent activity index shows German emphasis on the printing, chemicals, steel, motor vehicle, and power generation-related patent classes. (See text table 6-1 and appendix table 6-15.) But, like the Japanese, German inventors have not ignored the new technology areas that may dictate an expansion of its industrial sector's future competitiveness. Germany's U.S. patenting activity also indicates that its inventors are developing new products and processes that would fall within biotechnology and optoelectronic technology areas.
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