Patentable Subject Matter
Revised Japanese Examination Guidelines for Medical Inventions (June 22, 2010)
By Toyomi Ohara, Patent Agent & Technical Adviser The Japanese Patent Office (“JPO”) introduced a revised version of the “Examination Guidelines for Medical Inventions,” in October of 2009. The revised guidelines are applicable to all patent applications being examined after November 1, 2009 including pharmaceutical products and medical devices. 1. Methods for Collecting data from [...]
Plans to Enlarge the Patentable Subject Matter for Medical Inventions (July 15, 2009)
The Japanese Government’s IP Strategic Headquarters announced plans to revise the patent examination standards for medical inventions of known drug compounds. The new standard will grant patent protection for new and inventive dosage regimens and modes of administration as a “product-related invention” provided the claimed medicament has remarkable effects beyond that which is expected by [...]
Medical Method Claims in Japan: An Overview (May 12, 2009)
According to the Japan Patent Office (JPO), methods for treatment of the human body by surgery or therapy and diagnostic methods practiced on the human body fall outside the scope of “industrially applicable inventions” and are, therefore, unpatentable. In only a few nations are such claims permissible, the U.S. being one of them. To clarify, [...]