In the growth map of "Little Giant" enterprises, surging innovation vitality serves as the driving force behind development. At the same time, a systematic intellectual property (IP) layout acts as the moat and compass that ensures the flame burns continuously and illuminates the global market. Luoyang Landglass Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "LandGlass") has not only reshaped the horizons of the glass industry with its innovative technologies but also demonstrated the vision and stature of a national-level specialised and sophisticated "Little Giant" enterprise through its forward-looking IP strategy. From technological breakthroughs to value protection, intellectual property has become a strategic instinct integrated into LandGlass’s DNA.
System as the Foundation: Building the "Backbone" of IP Management
LandGlass's emphasis on IP began in the company's early days. From the sprouting of strategic awareness to the assembly and cultivation of a professional IP team, and then to the construction of a refined management system covering the entire process of R&D, production, and sales, LandGlass completed a profound transformation in IP management. In 2015, the company successfully obtained the Intellectual Property Management System certification, stepping into the advanced ranks of the industry. Since then, LandGlass has continuously optimised its management system, completing an upgrade in 2024 by passing the latest Intellectual Property Compliance Management System certification, achieving resonance with national standards.
Layout First: Creating a "Passport" for the Global Market
The value of intellectual property depends on the extent to which it can be protected and realised. LandGlass has a deep understanding of this. As early as 2004, the company took the lead in transcending the "localised patent" mindset and launched a global IP layout. Today, LandGlass's patent family covers dozens of countries and regions, including China, the United States, Europe, India, and the Middle East, forming a technical protection network composed of over a thousand domestic and foreign patents. These patents provide legal protection for LandGlass’s core technologies—such as flat and bent bi-directional tempering technology, forced convection technology, bent tempering technology, and the revolutionary metal flexible vacuum sealing technology—and have become crucial passports for LandGlass to enter the global market.
In 2013, a well-known American glass enterprise hesitated to purchase a LandGlass tempering furnace due to concerns about IP protection for Chinese enterprises. LandGlass’s IP team collaborated with the marketing department to communicate deeply with the client, comprehensively demonstrating their robust IP management and global patent layout, which ultimately dispelled the client’s doubts entirely. Based on a mutual respect for innovation and rules, the cooperation proceeded smoothly. Since then, the client has purchased a total of 28 sets of LandGlass equipment, becoming a long-term partner—a collaboration that serves as a paradigm for Sino-US enterprises working together for mutual benefit.
LandGlass’s patent strategy emphasises quality as much as quantity. In 2012 and 2013, LandGlass won the China Patent Gold Award for two consecutive years. This prestigious award in China's IP field is a high recognition of LandGlass’s original innovation capabilities and patent value; it also marked that its core technology had reached industry-leading levels at that time, contributing significantly to the technological development of the industry.
Defence as a Shield: Constructing a "Firewall" for Corporate Cores
In the IP system, patents are the "spear" for external competition, while trade secrets are the "shield" guarding core competitiveness. LandGlass has established a rigorous trade secret protection system, with the Trade Secret Management Measures as its general outline, clarifying management bodies and responsibilities, and deriving specialised systems such as the Technical Secret Management Measures. This system clearly defines the scope, secrecy levels, labelling methods, and confidentiality periods of trade secrets, while standardising the management of sensitive areas, equipment, and personnel behaviour. Through three-dimensional measures of systems, technology, and management, a protection barrier for the company’s core assets has been fortified.
Furthermore, LandGlass has proactively carried out trademark layouts in major global markets, laying a legal foundation for brand value. Today, LandGlass's brand image is deeply integrated with high-quality and high-innovation solutions, becoming a symbol of value trusted by global customers.
Risk Control as a Net: Weaving a "Warning Network" for Global Operations
In the field of intellectual property, the best defence is proactive early warning. LandGlass knows that a sound management system should be a radar for detecting risks, not just a shield. LandGlass has established a normalized and institutionalized IP risk control mechanism: monitoring industry patent dynamics to gain insight into technical trends and potential conflicts; utilizing FTO (Freedom to Operate) analysis and risk assessment at the front end of R&D and product design to circumvent risks; and successfully deterring patent litigation initiated by multiple domestic and foreign competitors through procedures such as infringement defense, patent invalidation, and administrative litigation, thereby safeguarding the company's legal rights. This full-process warning network ensures that LandGlass can effectively identify, evaluate, and respond to potential IP challenges during its global market expansion, escorting product innovation and international ventures.
Operation as Strategy: Driving the "New Engine" of Industry Win-Win
At LandGlass, intellectual property is not only proof of technical strength but also a strategic asset for market competition and seeking win-win cooperation. Through IP licensing, transfers, and pledge financing, the company actively explores converting technical advantages into tangible commercial value, boosting the overall improvement of the industrial chain.
From the technical height of winning the China Patent Gold Award early on, to the consistent systematic construction, forward-looking global risk control, and strategic layout, and finally to the high honour of being a National Intellectual Property Demonstration Enterprise, LandGlass’s IP work perfectly interprets the "refinement" and "specialisation" of a "Little Giant." It reflects the profound transformation of a Chinese tech enterprise from technological self-reliance to confidence in global rules.
On the road ahead, LandGlass will continue to strengthen its IP management. In the vast arena of the global glass industry, it will not only export advanced technology and products but also convey the respect and responsibility of Chinese enterprises toward wisdom, rules, and the future. This is both the necessary path for the growth of a "Little Giant" and the innovative chapter that LandGlass is currently composing.
