Tetsuhiro Hosono resigned as commissioner of the Japan Patent Office (JPO) on August 23, 2010, and was replaced by Yoshiyuki Iwai. In his inauguration speech address, Iwai said he will continue to overhaul the patent system to meet the demands…
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At the 3rd meeting of the Committee on Examination Standards held on June 30, 2009, the Committee concluded that a revision of the examination guidelines will not be necessary at this time in light of stable granting of patent rights…
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by Yoshiko Osawa, International Trademark SpecialistIn October 2009, the Japanese Patent Office (JPO) revised the trademark examination guidelines to add a section on the handling of trademarks which use names of historical figures. In the past, the Japanese Trademark Law…
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by Konomi Takeshita, Patent AttorneyRecently, Japan and China appear to be bolstering their cooperation in improving the protection of intellectual property rights (IPRs), in order to support economic stability in the region. In June 2009, the two countries signed a…
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Effective January 2010, several amendments to the current copyright law will go into effect. There are several clauses included in the revision, but the two main issues are 1) the illegal downloading of copyrighted material, 2) legalization of internet search…
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Effective April 1, 2009, provisional exclusive license and/or provisional non-exclusive license can be registered at the Japan Patent Office based on a license agreement before an application is granted a patent. The new recordation system will provide protection for the…
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Japan’s Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters (IPSH) held its 22nd meeting on April 21 with the purpose of mapping out a five-year National Intellectual Property Strategy program. The IPSH was created in 2003 by then Prime Minister Jun’ichiro Koizumi, an advocate…
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Intellectual property right (IPR) protection in Japan has been strengthened in the past decade through proposed pro-patent policies. The intended effect behind these policies is to bolster Japan’s sluggish economy and increase its global competitiveness. Two amendments enforced in the…
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Three Years after the Regional Collective Trademark Law went into effect, the system is still not well known among foreign business associations. The Japan Patent Office announced in February, 2009, that 873 regional marks were registered since the law went…
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Severe economic downturn in Japan has recently spurred the Government to set up an emergency examination fee postponement plan. Effective April 1, 2009, applicants filing a request for an examination will receive a one-year extension for payments of the official…
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