Provisional Exclusive & Non-Exclusive License can now be Registered:Effective April 1, 2009, provisional exclusive license and/or non-exclusive license can be registered at the Japan Patent Office based on a license agreement before an application is granted a patent The new recordation system provides protection for third party license alterations  (July 17, 2009)

Plans to Enlarge the Patentable Subject Matter for Medical Inventions:The Japanese Government plans to revise the patent examination standards for medical inventions of known drug compounds to cover dosage regimens and modes of administration as a product-related inventions.  (July 17, 2009)

The Japan Patent Office to start a pilot Patent Prosecution Highway program with Australia and Singapore on July 1:This is the first time this program will be set in Southeast Asia.  (June 17, 2009)

From Patent Protection to Patent Exploitation- Japan's National IP Strategy Needs an Overhaul: Although Japan still tops the world in the number of annual patent applications, patent contribution to economic growth remains low. A Government IP Committee discussed plans to turn that around. (May 12, 2009)

Recent Trends in Japanese Patent Litigations: Two amendments enforced in the last decade stand out as having significant effects on the Japanese patent litigation system; namely, Articles102, paragraph 1, Damage Calculation Compensation Calculation Methods, and 104, paragraph 3, Restriction on Exercise of Rights of Patentee. The first policy reform strengthened remedies against infringers, and the second provided defendants accused in an infringement trial the ability to use the invalidity defense in court proceedings. (May 1, 2009)

Change in Japan Patent Office's Examination Fee Payment Schedule Effective April 1, 2009: Severe economic downturn in Japan has recently spurred the Government to set up an emergency examination fee postponement plan. Effective April 1, 2009, applicants filing a request for an examination will receive a one-year extension for payments of the official fee which is normally due at the time the request is filed. (April 1, 2009)

Foreign Products Registered Under Japanese Geographical Indicators (GIs) After the Amended in the Trademark Law: The geographical indicators (GIs), also known as regional collective marks, have been recognized in Japan since 2006, and so far, four foreign marks have been registered under the system including the Darjeeling tea. (April 2, 2009)

Revisions in the Japanese IP Law in 2009: The changes include a new time frame for filing an appeal against an examiner's final rejection among others. (February 10, 2009)

New Guidelines for an Accelerated Examination System for Trademarks Effective February 1, 2009: The new guidelines will open-up opportunities for applicants who can prove that the claimed trademarks are already being used.   (January 19, 2009)

Patent Office plans to extend trademark protection to pieces of music and moving pictures. The Patent Office plans to accept applications to register sequences of sounds and moving images as trademarks, sources close to the government said Thursday. (December 5, 2008)

The New Super Accelerated Examination System Grants Patent in Just 17 Days!: The Japan Patent Office (JPO)  launched the Super Accelerated Examination System on October 1, 2008 with a promise to cut the examination pendency period of the traditional accelerated examination system by half. Recently, the first patent under the system was granted in a record 17 days.  (October 17, 2008)

JPO to launch a "Super Accelerated Examination System" starting October 1, 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 program proposes to reduce the period it takes the current Accelerated Examination System from its 5.9 months to about three months from application to the final decision. (September 17, 2008)

U.S., Japan and Europe Jointly Launch Three-Way Patent Search Sharing Pilot, beginning July 28, 2008 After three years of planning, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) along with the European Patent Office (EPO) and the Japan Patent Office (JPO) have launched a "Triway" search-sharing program that would make use of the searching expertise of the Trilateral Offices. There are special conditions that need to be met. Click for more details. ►more (August 15, 2008)

Official fees for patents and trademarks discounted starting June 1, 2008 The Japanese Patent Office (JPO) published a notice proposing a number of changes in the Japanese patent and trademark regulations. There are four proposed new rules: the first of which is the new fee reduction rule which went into effect in June.►more (June 9, 2008)

WIPO Announces Matsushita Electric Now Ranks No. 1 In the Number of PCT Filings for 2007 In a year that saw a record number of filings under the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), the cornerstone of the international patent system, Matsushita topped the corporate list overtaking the Dutch multinational Philips Electronics. ►more (April 10, 2008)
 

One Court, Two Verdicts: Examining Two Recent Off-Brand Ink Cartridge Infringement Cases in Japan On November 8, 2007, the Japanese Intellectual Property High Court upheld Canonfs assertion that the import and sale of Canonfs used ink cartridges by the third-party ink seller did indeed infringe on Canonfs patent. Earlier in May, Seiko Epson appealed and lost its case against another ink cartridge reseller. Both cases were brought in front of the Japanese Intellectual Property High Court, but one patent was validated and the other was not. We examine the two ink cartridge infringement cases.  ►more (February 1, 2008)

Senior Partner at Keisen Associates Will Speak About International Technology Transfer and Global Alliances at Universities in Japan Keisen Associates' senior partner, Taro Yaguchi, will be presenting a series of lectures in Japan entitled "Issues Surrounding International Technology Transfer and Global Alliances". ►more (October 18, 2007)

JPO Announced a 15% Increase in Registered Patents from the Previous Year for 2006 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 a total of 408,674.►more (April 23, 2007)

April 18 Marks the 122 Anniversary Since the Japanese Patent Law Went into Effect- April 18^th is designated as "Invention Day" in Japan. This day commemorates the promulgation of Japanfs Patent Monopoly Act which later became the Japanese Patent Law  we know today. more (April 18, 2007)

Sharp Settles Employee Invention Suit Over LCD Technology, (Osaka, Japan): 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. more (April 16, 2007)

Retail and Wholesale Services Will Be Able to Register Their Service Mark In Japan Effective April 1, 2007►more (February 21, 2007)
 

The Japanese Patent Office's New Guidelines to Extend the Period for
Responding to a eNotice of Reasons for Refusalf Takes Effect April 1, 2007 ►more (February 20, 2007)

Judge Orders Canon to Pay Additional Compensation to Former Employee In An Employee Invention Suit: A Decision was passed by the Tokyo District Court on January 31,2007, to award former Canon employee 33.53 million yen (US$335K) for a laser beam printer (LBP) technology he invented during his employment with the camera and printer giant.►more (February 5, 2007)

Hitachi faces another employee-inventor lawsuit worth 200 million yen (US$1.7million)►more (November 22, 2006)

MEXT Announces New Strategies to Foster Partnership Between Japanese Universities And Foreign Companies- The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) announced its strategies to make university research institutions more accessible to foreign corporations for the year 2007. Currently, less than 1% of corporate funded university research in Japan is sponsored by foreign companies, while billions are spent each year by Japanese companies to conduct corporate R&D at foreign universities. The Japanese government has plans to tip the balance. ►more (September 19,2006)