On January 30, 2020, the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)’s Kashiwase Asuka reported based on the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) data that Japan-based applicants are not increasing their output of patent applications, whereas China has taken the world by…
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Japanese beef cows (wagyu) are world-renowned for the care that goes into the nurture of the animals as they head for the table. Massages, beer drinking, and other practices make the meat exceptionally tender and widely favored. However, after a…
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The Japan Patent Office welcomed a delegation from the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP) in October 2019, leading to signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) between Japan and Saudi Arabia’s patent offices. Included is an agreement to begin…
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The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) released its World Intellectual Property Indicators 2019 recently and reports on the numeric state of affairs in intellectual property worldwide in 2018. Many trends are predictable. Asia’s activity is ever more noticeable. WIPO proclaims,…
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The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF) has announced plans to fund new integrated efforts to bring more revenue to Japan through protection and exploitation of Japan-registered varieties of plants in other countries. MAFF asserts that many…
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The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) issued patent no. 2,000,000 and trademark registration no. 1,000,000, which Republic of Korea (South Korea) President Moon Jae-in presented to the inventor and registrant, respectively, on September 19, 2019. Only six other nations’ had…
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* See an update on the situation from 2020. The Republic of Korea (“South Korea”)’s courts expanded precedent for financial punishment of Japanese companies on March 25, 2019, when it approved a takeover of six patents and two trademarks worth…
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On January 17, 2019, the Japanese Patent Attorney’s Association held a press conference in which presenter Seiji Matsuda pointed out the impact of the now-effective modified Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement (often called TPP-11) on intellectual property. The major changes…
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Plant variety registration laws do not feature frequently in intellectual property news feeds, but a recent conflict has arisen in Korean Jeju Island where farmers acquired new varieties of Japanese mikan tangerines without formal licenses. Now that the varieties have…
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Amid all the intrigue about the trade war between China (PRC) and the United States, this time not Huawei in the West but Apple in China has been dealt a blow. However the setback (if it proves to be that)…
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