On October 12, 2021, Mitsubishi Electric went public with Open Technology Bank, a patent licensing clearinghouse for many of its patents. This “Open Technology Bank” (OTB) of Mitsubishi Electric touts various technologies the company is willing to license to others…
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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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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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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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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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Do you remember the Yahoo! portal? It was cool before Google disrupted the Internet industry . . . Actually, Yahoo! is alive and well in Japan. It has adapted to remain competitive, and now the Japanese parent organization Z Holdings…
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Leaders of eleven top Japanese companies met on May 31, 2021 to plan a new cooperative corporation to coordinate nationwide advances in quantum technology and applications. The group intends to initiate a formal corporate establishment meeting this summer. The participating…
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Clarivate, global IP analyst, sets out annually to find the world’s largest innovation engines. This year, it issued its tenth Top 100 Global Innovators” awards. This year, The USA was represented by 41, but East Asia combined rivaled its numbers….
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While debates on moratorium on intellectual property related to novel coronavirus vaccines continue, Hitachi ABB Power Grids Ltd. (a joint venture) and General Electric (GE) were able to agree to cooperative sharing of intellectual property in another field. These companies…
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