Unit

Reaping the Rewards of Innovation

4

技術開発者に報いあれ！
世界有数の経済誌である Forbes で、unsung hero として取り上げられたフラッシュメモリの開発者である
舛岡富士夫氏についての英文を読んで、東芝が彼の発明に対してどういう態度を取ったのかなどを読み取ってみましょう。

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If you appreciate the convenience and speed with which you
use your smartphone, computer, or other electronics, you canthank a whole cast of brilliant engineers. Some of these geniuses
stand out more than others. Usually, they get rewarded quite
handsomely for their revolutionary innovations. That was not
the case of Fujio Masuoka, the inventor of flash memory.
Unfortunately, Toshiba, his employer, was reluctant to support
his innovative ideas. Masuoka’s main job was developing theDR AM technology. During regular work hours, Masuoka
worked on DRAM, while on nights and weekends he worked on
his own idea, flash memory. He first patented the idea for flash
memory in 1980. In 1984, he was promoted for his work onDRAM. This promotion gave him the authority to go directly tothe factory and have semiconductor chips made.
That same year, he drew a lot of attention from American
semiconductor companies at the annual International Electron
Devices Meeting (IEDM) in San Jose, California. Toshiba did
not expect inquiries from many American computer companies
as well as automobile companies requesting samples.
Among those companies was Intel, which devoted 500
engineers to work on the flash memory project, while Toshiba
allocated only five employees to help Masuoka on a part-timebasis. The company instead prioritized DRAM by assigning
60 engineers to assist Masuoka. Although DRAM was earning
Toshiba $500 million a year, Intel had quickly dominated themarket for flash memory with $500 million in sales a year.
In 1987, Masuoka developed a new type of flash memory thatwas compact enough to be used in mobile phones and otherdevices. The company didn’t recognize his efforts until he wasgiven a newspaper award for invention of the year in 1988. Only
then did Toshiba reward him with only a few hundred dollars.
Just as the new flash memory went on sale in 1990, Toshibapressured Masuoka to accept another promotion. He viewed it
as a demotion believing he was being punished for not being ateam player and doing his own thing without permission.

18Maunorng|Dreamstime.com

DRAM = Dynamic
Random Access
Memoryコンピュータなどに使用される半導体メモリの方式の一種。

International
Electron Devices
Meeting

半導体チップの製造技術に関する国際学会（日本語名はないようである）。

a newspaperaward

具体的には、日刊工業

新聞 10大新製品賞を指している。

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455055

By 1994, Masuoka quit his job at Toshiba to work at Tohoku
University. In December 2001, Toshiba ended its sales of DRAM
and focused on flash memory. At the time, Toshiba was earning
more than $1.2 billion a year from memory sales in a market
worth $76 billion. In 2006, Masuoka settled a lawsuit withToshiba for compensation of the patent for flash memory. He
demanded 1 billion yen, but settled with the company for 87
million yen.
This is not the only time that a Japanese company benefitted
immensely from an employee’s revolutionary creation. ShujiNakamura, the inventor of the technology that leads to thedevelopment of blue LEDs, also ended up in a court battle withhis company, Nichia Corporation.
It can be argued that one of the greatest strengths of Japaneseindustry is teamwork. For some companies, that means
individual initiative can be frowned upon and discouraged byupper management. The question is: do the fruits of labor ofJapanese employees belong exclusively to the company? At thevery least, current and future managers should keep in theirmemories the history of flash memory.
(527 words)

イラスト：佐々木健一

19MarkSwallow/iStockphoto.com

Shuji Nakamura

中村修二 (1954 - ) 2014
年に、赤崎勇氏、天野浩氏と共同でノーベル物理学賞を受賞。

Nichia Corporation
日亜化学工業株式会社

Exercises
A

設問に答えなさい。

1) 次の語句の日本語の意味を答えなさい。

revolutionary innovation

rewardlawsuitcompensation

patent2) フラッシュメモリ開発に対する Intel と東芝の人員の当て方の違いを日本語で説明しなさい。

3) Intel がフラッシュメモリの開発に精力をつぎ込んでいた頃、東芝の状況はどうでしたか。日本語で説明しなさい。

4) 舛岡氏が東芝を相手取って訴訟を起こしたのはどうしてですか。日本語で説明しなさい。

5) It can be argued that one of the greatest strengths of Japanese industry isteamwork. (l.49–l.50) を日本語に訳しなさい。

B

本文の内容に合うように、次の質問の答えを選びなさい。

1) What was Masuoka able to do in 1984 that he could not have done before?
a) To work overtime on nights and weekend.

b) To continue developing DRAM technology.

c ) To have his semiconductor chip made in the factory.

d) To transfer to Intel.

2) What was Toshiba’s priority in 1984?
a) To work with Intel as a partner.

b) To promote flash memory.

c ) To develop its DRAM product.

d) To compete with American companies in DRAM technology.

C1)
2)

本文の内容と一致しているものには T を、一致していないものには F を記入しなさい。

Masuoka worked on DRAM at night and on weekends.
Masuoka worked overtime hours developing flash memory.
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Unit 4

Toshiba had the largest share of the market for flash memory.
A newspaper gave some money to Masuoka in 1988.
Masuoka always asked permission to start a new project.
Masuoka did not get the exact amount of money he requested from
Toshiba in the lawsuit.

3)
4)
5)
6)

D

次の各文の（1) It could be (）の中に入る語を右から選びなさい。

) that laws are made by and for men.

2) His talents are not fully (3) The train crash (4) They’ve (5) She (E) in that company.
) the news.

) the best man to the job.
) that I pay her immediately.

appreciatedassigneddemandedargueddominated

日本語に合うように与えられた語句を並べかえなさい。

.
私たちは、いま車を直してもらっているところだ。

our / repaired / we’re / car / having
F
14-16

英文を聞いて、それぞれの英文の後に続くものを a 〜 c から選び記号で答えなさい。

1) Fujio Masuoka was not satisfied with Toshiba because2) The company, Intel, dominated the market
3) After Masuoka quit his job at Toshiba,.
.

.

「 発 明 」 や「 特 許」 について学 ぼう
舛岡富士夫氏の事例について、どのように感じられたでしょうか。英語本文にも記述がありますが、個人と会社との間で争いになった事例としては、中村修二氏―2014 年にノーベル物理学賞を受賞―の件もよく知られています。これを機会に、「職務発明」、「業務発明」、「自由発明」といった発明に関わる用語の違いを調べてみてください。個人と個人の間で、どちらが先に発明したのかが問題となる場合もあります。アレクサンダー・グラハム・ベルとエリシャ・グレイの「電話」の発明に関わる話はご存じかもしれませんが、今一度この事例を調べて、同時に「先発明主義」とか「先願主義」という特許に関わる言葉も理解しておきましょう。しかし、学生のみなさんに直接に関わるのは、大学等において学生が寄与した発明の取扱いかもしれません。これについてもインターネットなどで基本的なことを確認してみてください。

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