We reported less than half a year ago that UNIQLO’s non-viual scanning kiosks were judged patent-infringing by the IP High Court in Tokyo. The victor, IT company Asterisk Inc., was pleased, but wary of a drawn-out IP battle. Indeed, although…
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Japan’s Patent Act Article 93 allows for enforced licensing of a patent for the public interest, but it has never been successfully used. However, that may change. Takahashi Masayo (Ph.D.) was the first to successfully transplant retinal cells generated through…
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* Originally published August 26, 2021. Updated September 9, 2021 in light of further news (in bold). In addition, there were reports on September 27 that the Daejeon Court finally ordered the sale of MHI’s siezed IP assets. Mitsubishi Heavy…
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Ishikawa Prefecture (northeast of Kyoto) took fourteen years to develop extremely highly rated grapes, and is in a tough battle to keep the variety “Ruby Roman” for itself abroad. It took fourteen years to develop the variety, with very large,…
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The Japan Patent Office announced in July 2021 that it had been operating in the red since 2014 and was planning to raise the annuities (maintenance fees) for patents, registration and renewal fees for trademarks, and filing and other fees…
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Goldfish, bred for centuries in Japan, are a major business in Nara Prefecture’s Yamato-Koriyama city. Barely used telephone booths are common around Japan. Modern artist Yamamoto Nobuki combined the two to promote water protection in his work “Message” in 2000,…
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What is it worth to fight over patent infringement in Japan? Depending on the field and technology, apparently 3.3 billion yen (about US$ 30 million) in August 2021. Gaming company COLOPL, Inc. (headquarters: Shibuya, Tokyo) developed a popular computer game,…
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How excited to you get about the grain you eat? Rice is central to traditional Japanese cuisine, and many Japanese farmers and famous rice-growing regions take great pride in their produce. One family company in Fukushima Prefecture, MIINE PRIMAL Co.,Ltd.,…
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Around the world, innovators are trying to find applications of present technologies to combat the trenchant spread of novel coronavirus COVID-19. Researchers in Fukushima Prefecture at Fukushima Medical University found hope in use of antibodies to help capture Covid viruses…
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The Japan Patent Office Annual Report (特許行政年次報告書) of 2021, with a wealth of data of intellectual property trends in Japan and worldwide, came out with much we can expect from Japan: fast examination results, continuing declines in patent filings domestically…
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