The Japan Patent Office published its annual Status Report in March. (You can see our review of previous reports for 2017, 2018, and 2020.) Here are a few of the things we noted.
Patent Prosecution in Japan
-Steady decline in domestic and international patent filings, with a larger drop 2019 to 2020 of about 19,500 to about 289,500 (p. 12).
-Compared to last year, slight increases in examination speed, but the JPO average total pendancy (request for examination to final action) is still the shortest of the five top patent offices, at 14.3 months. (p. 4)
Design Registrations
-Design registration filings in Japan were marginally higher than the last two years, when International Applications are included, at about 31,750 (p. 23).
-Average total pendency for design registrations in Japan was 6.8 months (p. 63).
Trademark Registrations
-The number of registered trademarks jumped slightly in 2020 to 135,000, well above the previous high in 2018 (p. 28).
-Average total pendency for trademark registrations in Japan was 9.9 months (p. 5).
Noteworthy
The Status Report for this year puts forth the various amendments to IP laws in Japan currently under consideration. Some of these have already featured in our articles (such as Prime Minister Suga’s cabinet recommendations this year and JPO goals for a “with/post corona” IP ecosystem), but you can see a handy summary of proposals under review now on pages 121-123 (English and Japanese).
* The information provided on this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice.
** For questions or consultation, please contact us for more information.
Taro Yaguchi.
Sources
Japan Patent Office. JPO Status Report 2021. PDF report. Page updated March 31, 2021. Accessed April 15, 2021.
Header image: Japan Patent Office, Tokyo, by Josiah Momose.
