IP News
JPO 2010 Annual Report (March 21, 2011)
The Japan Patent Office’s (JPO) 2010 Annual Report was published in May. The 200-page report disclosed both domestic and international trends in applications, registrations, time for pendency, number of trials and other data of interest. The following are some of the highlights. General Trends for 2009: The number of patent applications filed in Japan has [...]
New JPO Commissioner Announced (September 14, 2010)
Tetsuhiro Hosono resigned as commissioner of the Japan Patent Office (JPO) on August 23, 2010, and was replaced by Yoshiyuki Iwai. In his inauguration speech address, Iwai said he will continue to overhaul the patent system to meet the demands for an accelerated patent examination by increasing the number of examiners and outsourcing searches for [...]
Japan Patent Office”Case Study on Inventive Step”is published in English (September 7, 2010)
At the 3rd meeting of the Committee on Examination Standards held on June 30, 2009, the Committee concluded that a revision of the examination guidelines will not be necessary at this time in light of stable granting of patent rights and the stability of granted patents. It did preface that by concluding the committee will [...]
Revisions in the Trademark Examination Guidelines for Registering Famous People’s Names as Trademarks (June 22, 2010)
by Yoshiko Osawa, International Trademark SpecialistIn October 2009, the Japanese Patent Office (JPO) revised the trademark examination guidelines to add a section on the handling of trademarks which use names of historical figures. In the past, the Japanese Trademark Law had no provisions forbidding the adoption of deceased person’s name as a trademark, let alone [...]
Japan and China Strengthening Cooperation for Protecting Intellectual Property Rights (June 22, 2010)
by Konomi Takeshita, Patent AttorneyRecently, Japan and China appear to be bolstering their cooperation in improving the protection of intellectual property rights (IPRs), in order to support economic stability in the region. In June 2009, the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and established for the first time a working group to protect [...]
The Japan Patent Office Will Implement The Super Accelerated Examination System Starting October 1, 2008 (September 25, 2008)
The Japan Patent Office (JPO) will launch a pilot program that specifically aims to expedite examination for internationally filed applications with concrete commercial intent or that require a quick examination turnaround. The “Super Accelerated Examination System,” as it is called, proposes to reduce the period it takes the current Accelerated Examination System by about half; [...]
WIPO Announces Matsushita Electric Now Ranks No. 1 In the Number of PCT Filings for 2007 (April 10, 2008)
Japanese electronics manufacturer Matsushita,best known in the U.S. for its Panasonic brand, overtook Dutch rival Phillips Electronics to position itself at the top of the biggest Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) filer’s list, WIPO announced on February 21, 2008. Matsushita filed a total of 2,100 applications in 2007, picking up 59 more PCT patent applications than [...]
Keisen’s Senior Partner to Give Talk at Science Conference (October 18, 2007)
Biotool and Bioinformatics are two emerging fields in the area of Bio-IT. They integrate Life Science with Computer Science and are predicted experience a tremendous surge in the future. As the fields grow, so too will the need to protect new inventions in this fields. IP strategizing will become more and more important in this [...]
JPO Announced a 15% Increase in Registered Patents from the Previous Year for 2006 (April 23, 2007)
On March 29, 2007, JPO announced the results of the number of registered and filed patent applications in Japan for 2006. The number of patents that were registered with the JPO grew by 15% from 2005 for a total of 141,399 patents. The number of filed applications on the other hand dropped by 4.3% with [...]
April 18 Marks the 122 Anniversary Since the Japanese Patent Law Went into Effect (April 18, 2007)
April 18th is designated as “Invention Day” in Japan in and patent and invention-related events are taking place throughout the country. This day commemorates the promulgation of Japan’s Patent Monopoly Act which later became the Japanese Patent Law that we know today. A key figure attributed in establishing the patent and trademark system in Japan [...]
Sharp Settles Employee Invention Suit Over LCD Technology, (Osaka, Japan) (April 16, 2007)
A suit that demanded the Japanese consumer electronics maker pay $4.6 million to a former employer for a flat screen TV technology was settled in the Osaka District Court on April 1, 2007. Neither was willing to comment on the amount, but both expressed satisfaction with the agreement. The suit was filed back in June [...]