In 2017, the JPO had been trying to institute a system of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to force patent owners and prospective licensees to reach positive resolution when negotiations failed. However, the JPO realized that it should hold off on…
Read more
Japanese paperwork is exacting and precise. What happens, then, if you are an applicant or patent owner and your address as registered by the JPO is incorrect or outdated? Do you lose patent rights in Japan if the address on…
Read more
The JPO is making its procedures for examining trademark applications that have been preceded by defectively filed applications more transparent after some confusion that caught up the media in Japan. Defective (often, with official fees unpaid) applications frequently are attempts…
Read more
In a possibly consequential decision, the IP High Court overturned the Tokyo District Court’s infringement case decision against Debiopharm International S.A., judging that plaintiff Nichi-Iko’s patent No. 4430229 was not infringed. What was important about the decision was that the…
Read more
Missed the first deadline for an Office Action response? Since the Revision to Japanese Patent Law effective from April 2016, the JPO has modified rules for extending the deadline for responding to Pre-Appeal Office Actions*, both minor and major. Of…
Read more
Q. I have ready a Japanese translation for my application; can I have Keisen submit the translation as it is? A. In short, No. Generally speaking, a translation provided by an applicant cannot be filed as it is in Japan…
Read more
The Japan Patent Office (JPO) continues to expand its Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) network with pilot programs initiated with the National Institutes of Industrial Property (INPI) of Brazil and Argentina, respectively, from April 1, 2017. The JPO plans to start…
Read more
* Changes to the Patent Act of Japan, going into effect from April 1, 2023, make this article outdated for patent deadlines on or after that date. Please see our news article here for more information. When a patent application…
Read more
* Changes to the Patent Act of Japan, going into effect from April 1, 2023, make this article outdated for patent deadlines on or after that date. Please see our news article here for more information. Is it possible to…
Read more
The options and implications for post-issuance/grant proceedings and oppositions in Japan can be complicated, and you will need to take various factors into consideration. Our presentation gives you background and ideas for protecting or challenging issued patents. We would be…
Read more