This time, we take a look more at Building Designs so that you can file to protect your images, and be aware of possible infringement risks, in Japan. It seems that countries’ approaches to protecting intellectual property for an architectural…
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Japan has allowed such “multi-multi claims” (described as “any dependent claim that refers to more than one other claim in the alternative (“multiple dependent claim”) which depends from any other multiple dependent claim”).[1] However, beware that if you were intending…
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Unless a patent was filed in Japan a while ago (before April 1, 2004), the Japan Patent Office (JPO) will be charging more for many of the Japanese patent (including for PCT filings) and trademark fees, effective April 1, 2022….
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In the USA, a Design must be “any new, original and ornamental design for an article of manufacture” (35 U.S. Code § 171[a], emphasis added), but icons and other images may be registered if treated as part of a manufactured…
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In the past couple of years, Japan’s government has been trying to reform the work environment and make it more conducive to remote work and easier (digital) procedures. One of its trumpeted changes has been the removal of requirements for…
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We published an article in August 2021 and a followup newsflash in December regarding the Japanese government’s move toward a legal framework for a new secret patent system. The task force considering aspects of economic security for Japan presented their…
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In short order after our update from last week, another update to an intellectual property issue found in our archives has come up. Cloudflare, having complied with Japanese courts before, now is hit with a new accusation of accountability for…
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Late last year, news came out that Nippon Steel, one of Japan’s great steel manufacturers, was suing Toyota and Toyota’s new supplier of non-oriented magnetic steel sheets, Baosteel, for patent infringement. Later, Nippon Steel even set its sights on longstanding…
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The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and Japan Patent Office (JPO) made a joint statement posting their goals to issue office actions in response to Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) requests, making it easier for applicants to plan a…
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IFI CLAIMS Patent Services gave its overview of 2021 in US patent filings and more, showing Japan, Korea (ROK), and China (PRC) strongly in second through fourth places for the number of patents awarded last year. IFI reports rather grimly,…
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