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TPP-11 May Affect Patent Term Adjustments Slightly, Speed Up Some Trademark Injunctions in Japan

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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Toray Challenges Generic Pharmaceuticals over What It Claims Are Overly Narrow Restrictions to Extended Use Patent

Japanese chemical giant Toray announced on December 19, 2018 that it is striking out at two competitors that it claims are violating its extended medical use patent for an anti-itch product, Remitch®. The Japanese business paper Nikkei Shimbun took up…
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Post-Disclosure Application Grace Period Extended for Japanese Patent, Model, and Design Applications

In spring 2018, Japan implemented a Revision to Unfair Competition Prevention Act that includes a change to the disclosure grace period (exception to lack of novelty of invention period) for filers of Japanese patent, utility model, or industrial design applications….
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